Bending The Rules
by crazy-says-I
Summary: Benders fight demons. They are human beings granted with immeasurable power in return for dedicating their lives to protecting the innocent and vanquishing evil. Unfortunately, this power does not come with stipulations for getting your homework done. YY BR MM SJ. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Bending the Rules

Rating: M

Started: 7/11/2013

Please enjoy :)

* * *

There are certain things we take for granted in the world; obvious facts we overlook. Water is wet, for example. Or light and dark exist in every setting. Everything your eyes absorb is because of the efforts of light and dark. Some people are not so lucky to be negligent of the obvious. They are the benders, bending the elements which conduct our universe, bending the status quo, and completely succumbing to their poor teenage hormones in the process.

Benders exist throughout all of time and space. Mortal beings granted unspeakable power with which they are meant to protect the innocent and vanquish evil. These gifts present themselves when in the company of a greater evil than humanity can even comprehend: demons. Beings born out of hatred and anger who dwell for the most part in the Underworld have been known to surface in the past on a quest for domination. The slaughter of human beings has always been a familiar sport for demons; it was not until the time of the Roman Empire that a new demonic law was instated.

Any demon with the power to conquer the human world would summarily be granted dominion over all dwellers of the Underworld as well. They would rule over all known beings.

This law started a long and dreadful war between benders and demons. Protectors and perpetrators. The war lasted for thousands of years, culminating in the sacrifice of a powerful bender, weakening the demonic race to the point of temporary surrender.

Now, after five hundred years of recuperation, the demons are ready to unleash the ultimate attack. Their power is unimaginably greater than ever before. To combat it, the powers that be will grant powers to eight benders.

Though currently unaware of their destiny, these benders will be the greatest to ever exist. Should they succeed in this final battle, demons will be locked away in the Underworld left with only each other to slaughter for amusement.

The demons are ready to strike. They've waited half a millennia for this opportunity and the benders must learn quickly.

Whether they have a math to study or not.

* * *

_Please get me out of this hell box._

Jou looked at his phone hidden in his lap and stifled a laugh. He was currently sitting in math class trying to understand why foil was even involved when his friend Malik texted him. Malik had history this period and was forced to study in groups with…

Well, as he put it: "inconceivably nymrodic asshats".

Jou was sure that at least two of those words were not in the dictionary, but he got the gist.

_Wish we were watching Milton Berle._ He responded.

Their dear friend Yuugi was attending a film class where they had the pleasure of watching The Texaco Star Theater with everyone's favorite cross-dressing uncle. Missing out on said film class was a mistake which Jou bitterly regretted, but he hadn't realized that by taking auto-shop for his elective he would land in a math class seventh period with an asshole teacher that didn't _really_ know the Pythagorean Theorem at all.

"Jounouchi. Since you have the leisure time to text your friends, I suppose I can begrudge you the pleasure of completing the first review problem on the board."

Jou groaned loudly but rose anyway. He stood at the board facing the class with a bored look on his face. It didn't really bother him that they would probably laugh when he messed up. It was just annoying, that's all.

When he turned to grab a piece of chalk, he caught a glimpse of the unfairly attractive and brilliant Seto Kaiba. They have known and fought with each other their whole lives. Right now, even, Kaiba seemed to be flicking him the bird. Wait…

Jou's eyes widened and he turned back to the board so no one could see his blush.

Kaiba definitely just mimed him the answer.

He quickly wrote in on the board and rushed to his seat, loving the annoyed look on his teacher's face when he announced Jou had gotten it right. He didn't bother Jou for the rest of the class. When the final bell rang, the blonde practically ran after Kaiba. Maybe they could have a decent conversation for once. Maybe Jou wouldn't leave his crush's presence with a painful hole in his chest as a reminder that the taller boy hated him.

"Hey, Kaiba!" The CEO surprisingly hung back so he could look Jou in the eye. He didn't say anything, but raised a brow impatiently. Jou would have gulped if he weren't so determined. "Thanks for helping me out back there."

Kaiba scoffed.

"As if I would waste my time helping you, mutt."

The hurt that flashed in Jou's eyes would have truly bothered Seto if he were someone else. As it was, he was _Kaiba_ and he cared nothing for stupid Jou and his beautiful eyes.

Besides, the pain was replaced by anger soon enough.

"I'm not a dog, you dumb bastard," Jou growled. Seto's blue eyes rolled as he shifted his weight to one foot.

"At least I can perform math without help, you Chihuahua."

"Ah-hah! So you did help me!"

"As I stated earlier, Pug, no. You don't deserve my help."

"Damnit, stop with the dog references!"

"I'll stop when you stop being one, Labrador!"

Thus unfolded physical spar number 30 for the semester between Katsuya Jounouchi and Set Kaiba.

Ah, tradition.

* * *

Ryou Shiozu was a good student. No, damnit, he was a _great_ student. He has gotten straight A's since kindergarten and rarely ever missed school. Even when his dad left the county, which most kids would take advantage of, he continued to attend school and picked up a job for spending cash so all the money his dad sent him could go to rent and tuition. So really, when you think about it, he was just a great person in general.

Why then, I ask you, must he be surrounded by morons?

_All the time?_

He resisted the very strong urge to slam his head on his desk when one of his classmates asked for the second time if he needed to write his name on his test before turning it in. Seriously? Imbeciles. All of them.

As he bent over his own test to circle the answer to the last question, a note landed in front of him. He nervously glanced at the teacher before looking up at the thrower of said note and smiling at Bakura. He unfolded the note and grinned.

_No, darling, you don't need to write your name. She'll know which is yours by all the wrong answers._

They shared a roll of their eyes at the expense of their peer and picked up their exams, walking together to the teacher to turn them in and depart. The pair of them often remained quiet around large groups of people, but when they discovered last year that they lived only a block away from each other and began walking together, they realized they had something very important in common over which they bonded quickly.

They loved sass and _loved_ to use it when judging other people.

"Oh my _god_, are you kidding me? How did he make it to senior year without his brain?"

"His mother probably still breathes for him."

They laughed together as they exited the school to start their trek home. Ryou's laugh was something Bakura loved, considering how quiet the other had previously been around him. There was very little either enjoyed more than commuting to and from school with their friend. As Bakura put it, "It's just nice to have someone next to you who silently judges others as much as you do."

To which Ryou would respond with something along the lines of, "Aw, Kura!" and a hug, completely oblivious to the blush on his white-haired friend's face when he did so.

* * *

"Insufferable jackass."

"Stubborn child."

"Arrogant prick!"

"Midget asshat!"

"Spoiled ignoramus!"

"Stupi- wait what?"

"Exactly!"

Kaoru Ishigami was at a loss. An absolute and complete loss. He had been teaching gym for twenty years and never had he ever known two boys to fight as these two did.

Yuugi Moto had transferred into this gym glass halfway through the semester once his counselor realized he had no PE credits to finish the curriculum. Due to his schedule and the unwavering desire of the film teacher to leave Yuugi in 7th period Film Studies, the student was placed in 8th period gym. Which would have been absolutely fine. If it weren't for the fact that the one student every teacher had tried desperately to keep away from Yuugi since pre-school was also in that class: Yami Notaro.

Practically the entire city of Domino knew of the arguments between the two. Their verbal disagreements were rivaled only by the physical spars of Seto Kaiba and Katsuya Jounouchi. Thus they were kept apart as often as possible.

Unfortunately for this teacher, they were finally reunited in his class.

"Whatever, you dick."

"Aw, is the poor wittle virgin getting angry? Why don't you go see if that slut Anzu will help you relax?"

"Fuck you, Notaro! You wish one of your harlots was half as amazing as Anzu! And you know I'm gay, anyway."

Yami stepped close to Yuugi so he was snarling in his face; an act which would have made even grown men quiver but really just served to piss Yuugi off more.

"Well then, why don't _I_ teach you how to relax?"

Kaoru's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He almost took in the blush on Yuugi's cheeks and the shocked looks on the surrounding student's faces, but he really only had one thing on his mind.

"NO. No sex in my class; that is _not_ the kind of physical activity I am teaching." His voice absolutely did not crack with embarrassment at this point. "Both of you, five laps around the track. Now!"

Yuugi looked away with a scoff and pushed Yami on his ass.

"I hate you!"

Yami growled and chased after Yuugi, continuing their argument for all five of their laps. Kaoru blew his whistle and pushed the rest of the class to continue their baseball game, thanking every deity he knew of that it was the last Friday of the Fall semester.

* * *

Malik Ishtar loves to design. Anything. He was the best designer for his school's playhouse back in Egypt (which is saying something, considering the origin of theater) and he was now the best for Domino High's Production Company.

He was currently running beautiful lilac eyes over the set for their New Year's production of Oedipus Rex this weekend. The garden where Oedipus would speak to his motherwife was breathtaking. He had gotten many compliments for his design and felt pride looking down at the stage. Of course, a lot of the time he would rebuff the attention, saying his designs would be nothing without such an amazing builder.

Toned arms hidden beneath a black hooded sweatshirt wrapped around his waist and a chin settled on his right shoulder. He smiled. _Think of the devil._

"It looks amazing, baby."

Malik's smile broke into a grin and he turned to face his boyfriend of three years. His arms circled the taller one's neck as he spoke.

"And it's all thanks to you, Marik-The-Builder."

Marik himself chuckled, used to the silly nicknames Malik came up with for him and secretly pleased that his love always seemed happier when using them. He looked into Malik's eyes and tilted his head a bit, love and happiness shining through his own.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes you can!"

They laughed together before sharing a gentle kiss. Malik pulled away with wide eyes as he remembered something important.

"Oh! Isis said to come home for dinner before opening night. She has something she wanted to talk to us about."

Marik nodded and bent down to pick up both of their back packs, slinging them over his back. He put his other arm around Malik's shoulders and kissed his boyfriend's head. They walked together from the theater and down the road to their shared home. When they had been discovered in a romantic situation this past Valentine's Day by Marik's mother, they were given two options. Break up, or get the fuck out of her house.

They chose the latter, and never looked back.

Isis, Malik's older sister, and Odion, his big brother, were the only two out of both of their immediate and extended families to accept them. In fact, the rage with which Malik's father reacted was so dangerous that they had to leave. Isis conducted much research to find a suitable place for them to move; somewhere her brother and his beloved would be accepted and cherished for just how amazing they really were. Her research led her to Domino City, where not only was the homosexual population large and increasing, but there also happened to be an opening for a curator at their museum. They moved two days later and had never been happier.

Once enlisted at Domino High, Malik met Jounouchi and their spit-fire personalities meshed immediately. He then was introduced to Yuugi and Ryou, who quickly became some of his greatest allies. Marik, who was usually quiet when around any large groups of people out of nervousness for his personal opinions resulting in another blow out like in Egypt, met Seto Kaiba in his English class at the beginning of the semester and they were paired together for a project.

Surprising Seto, Marik completed the entire thing in one night because of his enthusiasm and they became fast friends. Well, tolerable acquaintances.

Well…they were the two who could sit back and hang out whenever Yami and Bakura started shit, as they often did. That was pretty close to friends, right?

* * *

"Oh my god Isis, are you serious?! That would be amazing!" Marik barely had time to get out of the way before Malik dove across the table to hug his sister, knocking her off her pillows. He and Odion shared a knowing look, very much used to the energetic antics of the youngest in their family. Isis' face showed pure joy at bringing such happiness to her little brother. After everything they had been put through, it was the least she could do to.

"Anything for you, little brother. Now, why don't you two go invite your friends to join you?" Malik nodded fervently and grabbed Marik's hand, pulling his boyfriend along with him to call their best friends for a weekend of cabin camping to celebrate the end of their midterms. They were ecstatic about their impending trip. Time away with their new friends after the absolute hell they'd been through in Egypt and with the abandonment of their families was exactly what they needed.

And, hopefully… Hopefully they can have a peaceful weekend with all of their friends.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey! Just wanted to thank those that reviewed, I really appreciate it. Also, a little note about this chapter. (Honestly usually I'm opposed to author's notes anymore, but I've realized that they are a benefit to writing fanfiction instead of books). A bit more of the plot is revealed, but mostly this is meant to introduce you to the characters as they will appear in my story. Thank you for reading!_

Chapter Two

Yami was angry.

No. Yami was _pissed off_.

He grunted in frustration as he repeatedly punched his boxing bag, trying desperately to get the thought of Yuugi Moto's silky looking skin out of his mind. Sweat trailed down his bare chest and rolled into the hem of his basketball shorts. It is absolutely unfair for such an annoying brat to be so beautiful.

With a particularly violent upper cut to the bag, Yami recalled the events which had transpired after school that day.

Yami had decided to take a trip to the Kame Game Shop for a new dial to the Ouija Board he had gotten there a few years ago. Sugoroku Moto sold it to him after his parents died and he moved in with his cousins, the Kaibas. When he brought the board, Gramps made him promise to never rely solely on the answers it may present. The risk of misleading results was not enough to deter Yami from using his board nor did it stop him getting so frustrated that he threw the dial across the room and broke it in half.

_The game shop was just as bright as it had always been. The exterior made no references to the death of the great man who once owned it. In fact, it was no different at all, except for the sign on the front of the store displaying the hours of operation; they were changed to accommodate Yuugi's school attendance. Yami may have fought like drowned cats with Yuugi, but he felt a great respect for him continuing Grandpa's business even while attending school. The bell above the door rang, but the jingle was drowned out by a radio and the surprisingly (to Yami, anyway) beautiful, raspy voice of Yuugi Moto singing along. _

_Yuugi's back was to the door; he was reaching above the counter to dust, resulting in about an inch of creamy skin showing between his shirt and the boxers peaking out of his jeans. Yami found himself caressing that the skin with his eyes, unable to look away._

"_But me, I run every time." Yuugi turned around and abruptly stopped singing. His face turned red at an alarming rate from embarrassment, though his eyes narrowed as they encountered Yami's face. God, it's not fair for such an asshole to be so handsome. "Yami, what are you doing here?"_

_The taller boy smirked and leaned against the counter, bringing his face closer to Yuugi's._

"_I need a new dial for my Ouija board, and this is the store where I bought it." Yuugi snapped his mouth shut when he discovered Yami had a perfectly valid reason for being there. He walked back into the stock room to retrieve the product and reentered the shop to ring it up for Yami, still not saying a word. Yami's smirk returned full force as he handed money over and refused the change. _

"_Does it really bother you so much that I'm here?" Yuugi continued to glare at Yami, wishing for the taller boy to just leave already so that he could go back to singing like a fool in peace._

"_You know damn well that it does. You got your stupid dial so just leave." Yami smiled almost genuinely as he turned to exit the game shop. Yuugi was confused at first, but his eyes quickly narrowed in anger at Yami's final words before the door closed and separated them for the night._

"_Well, since it bothers you so much I will just have to keep coming back every day, don't you think?"_

God, why the _fuck_ did he say that? Now his pride would force him to walk out of his way to that stupid boy's shop just to annoy him. And really, even though he quite enjoyed vexing his small rival, he didn't want to end up beating his poor punching bag to a pulp every day.

Yami yelled and spun, kicking the bag until it shook. No, his work out equipment definitely would not survive this turn of events.

"Yami, darling, I should tell you that building abs off of which you can grate cheese is only an expression." Said boy snorted and sat down next to Bakura on the long wall bench. This was their private gym, built in to the Kaiba mansion for only their use. Bakura, who had once lived with them, knew the ins and outs of the mansion and was always welcome to use the facilities.

Well….when he hadn't royally pissed off Kaiba, that is.

"Just working out some anger." Yami chugged his water, then wiped some sweat off his forehead and drying his hand on Bakura's T-shirt. He laughed slightly at the white haired boy's distaste before questioning his friend. "Why are you so jolly?"

"_Jolly?_"

"At least peppier than usual."

Bakura shrugged before pulling his shirt over his head to hide his grin and put his poker face back up. He stood to sit at a machine facing Yami, reaching his arms back to set the weights.

"Ryou."

Before Yami could mock Bakura's uncharacteristic happiness, their moment was interrupted by a voice entering the gym.

"I said 'no chance' and I meant it, you jackwagon."

"Malik wants you to, so you're coming."

"If that mutt is going to be there, I absolutely am not."

"Tell me, Captain Obvious, does Jou's blonde hair keep him from seeing your goo-goo eyes?"

"Fuck you."

"Uh-oh, Marik. When my cousin loses his articulacy, that means his fists are about to fly." Yami laughed at his friend's antics and tossed a cousin a bar bell. The brunette caught it with a grunt and glared at his cousin, who had taken to spotting Bakura on the machine. "Now exactly what fuckery are you attempting to engage my cousin in?"

Marik's eyes narrowed at Yami and he smirked.

"The very same thing I'm about to persuade you to join, duckie."

* * *

"I can't fucking believe you convinced me to be here."

It was a week later. Yami's face was flat as he slammed the car door shut, looking up at the large cabin where he would be spending the next four days. The sun had set already, so all he could make out of the building's exterior was the small amount illuminated by the porch light Malik had turned on.

He grunted when Yuugi slammed into his shoulder as he walked passed with Jou and Ryou in tow. Kaiba was already inside with Malik and Marik, scouring for the best bedrooms. There were only four, so Kaiba would be staying with his cousin while Ryou stayed with Yuugi, Bakura and Jou would share a room, and obviously Marik and Malik would stay together. They had fought about room assignments for almost the entire two hour drive and finally worked out a system to satisfy (nearly) everyone.

"Notaro, the less you speak this weekend the better it will be for all of us." Yuugi sassed the taller boy as he continued into the cabin. Yami licked his lips and tried in vain to avert his eyes from that perfect butt, but was dreadfully unsuccessful. He groaned when he felt Bakura's hand clamp onto his shoulder. He had been caught.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with a crush, hmm?" Yami pushed his friend, hating the laugh sent his way as the other ran inside.

"It's not a crush. I just wouldn't mind fucking him senseless, that's all."

"Everyone, get the hell in here already! It's amazing!"

Begrudgingly walking inside, Yami dropped his bag onto the floor and looked around. He could hear the others running around upstairs, choosing their bedrooms and laughing. Someone had put Blink 182 on the stereo and it nearly shook the cabin. Directly in front of him was a carpeted staircase leading to the second floor. The first floor was completely open and seemed to wrap around the stairs. The kitchen was to his right, leading in to the dining room, and then connecting to a large living room on his left with three couches and a recliner surrounding a large stone fire place. To his knowledge, the refrigerator was stocked with alcohol and there was a faint smell of weed already in the air.

"Well, at least there's that."

They spent the next twenty minutes unpacking before gathering in the living room. Everyone had a beer in their hands and was talking animatedly, completely disregarding the fact that their volume was unnecessarily boisterous. Kaiba's eyes were trained on Jou as he drank his beer, ignoring the fact that he was probably not blinking anymore. There was just something about the way the fire's glow decorated Jou's face and brought out the highlights in his hair that was completely captivating.

The others littered around the sofas drinking and passing a blunt. They were already enjoying themselves greatly, remarking at the amazing interior. But mostly letting go in the most exuberant, adolescent ways possible.

Yuugi sat next to Jou on one sofa with Ryou leaning between his legs so Yuugi could pet his hair, which was something he learned practically put his friend in a trance after he smoked. Malik was lounging across Marik's lap on another sofa while Yami and Bakura shared the last couch, leaning far away from the other. Seto took the recliner, managing to look adult-like and mature even with a cheap beer in his hand. Around an hour later, their laughter died down only slightly and the conversation lulled.

"Okay!" Malik clapped. "Now, let's get started."

Yuugi groaned and continued playing Ryou's hair. Yami tilted his head at him and was surprised when the smaller boy answered the unspoken question of what Malik meant by "get this started".

"Notaro, truth or dare?"

Bakura barked a laugh and slung an arm around Yami's shoulders. "Oh, _this_ is what we're doing?"

"Oldie but a goodie," Malik replied. He took a swig of his beer and smirked at Yami. They were, at this point, sporting substantial beer jackets and everyone had stripped down to only pants and shirts. "Now, I do believe Yuugi asked you a question."

Yami rolled his eyes and looked at his annoyingly attractive rival. "Dare."

"Everyone hold your surprise," Jou said with a laugh. They were watching anxiously, awaiting Yuugi's dare. Yami found his heart racing from the intense stare from Yuugi. His blood seemed to be flowing south and he prayed no one noticed.

Yuugi smirked.

"I dare you to take off a piece of clothing every time you swear."

Yami shrugged, obviously unaffected and confident that he wouldn't swear. Ryou, however, had a different plan in mind. He looked into Bakura's eyes and winked, earning an understanding smirk from his fellow troublemaker. Quietly, Bakura leaned away from Yami and settled down to lull his couch partner into a false sense of security. Then, he screamed as loud as he could.

"Fuck!" The curse left Yami's startled lips before he knew it and he groaned at the cat calls as he removed his shirt.

"A++, Yuug." Jou pounded his friend's fist as he silently appreciated Yami's torso. Kaiba failed to convince himself that he wasn't jealous. Malik clapped and took a cigarette from Marik, exaggerating as if it were a post-fuck smoke.

"Fine, then. Jou."

"Dare."

The blonde leaned forward, accepting the yet unspoken challenge without hesitation. Kaiba leaned forward subtly, worried for his pup's safety when Yami was involved. The dangerous smirk on his cousin's face only furthered his anxiety.

_Alright, fine. Maybe I'm a little in love with him. Whatever._ Kaiba felt slight relief at his silent admission, though not enough to ever admit it to Jou. Absolutely not.

He would make do with silently protecting Jou while holding his asshole persona. Like Batman. He would be Jou's Batman.

"I dare you to twerk."

Save for Kaiba, everyone fell in to hysterics. Jou tossed back the rest of his beer and stood dramatically, walking to the stereo. He began "Get Busy" by Sean Paul and moved to the middle of the circle with his ass facing Kaiba, who could not look away if he wanted to. Jou bent his legs and stuck out his rump with a sultry bite of his lip. He shook his rear and clapped to the music, laughing and breaking character when Marik slapped butt. He bowed to their applause and slumped back into his seat. He gratefully accepted the new beer Yuugi offered him.

"Damn. Where did you learn that?" Jou shrugged at Yami, but then laughed because Yuugi was yelling at him to take off his pants for swearing.

"Okay, okay. Draw your eyes away from the man-candy and focus on me." Jou tapped a finger on his chin as he chose a victim. He smiled when his eyes landed on Ryou. "Truth or dare?"

Ryou sighed, contemplating. He couldn't twerk and he _really_ didn't want all these buggers seeing him without his clothes.

"Truth." Jou snapped his fingers as if Ryou foiled some master plan, but continued with a truth anyway.

"Who did you lose your virginity to?" Ryou laughed and sat up straight back into Yuugi, who wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulders and giggled as well.

"Yuuuuugi!" He sang. Jaws dropped while the two laughed. They cheered to their shocked friends and drank some beer. "We were fourteen and fascinated by each other. Eventually we decided we were just best friends with awesome chemistry and should not be in a relationship with each other."

Everyone bombarded them with questions. Who was on top? (Ryou was.) Who made the first move? (Yuugi did.) Was there video? (Malik wanted.)

They spent the next few hours playing this game, resulting in Bakura kissing Kaiba, Marik singing Ave Maria, Yuugi lighting a match with his teeth, and Malik losing many staring contests. By 2am, they were all sufficiently drunk and listening to Yami rambling about stories his mom used to tell him.

"My grrrrrrrreat grandpa was a bender. He could shapeshift. And he sacrificed his life for the mans and ladies and all the babies. But demons is – hiccup – coming back. So I'm gonna beat them."

Yuugi rolled his eyes and clamped his hand over Yami's mouth. "Shut your stupid handsome face."

Malik and Marik were lying on the couch together, laughing quietly at their friends. Yuugi sat next to Yami, unabashedly staring at the still naked teen. Ryou was sandwiched between Kaiba and Bakura, watching Yami with wide eyes. The other two looked bored, having heard Yami's rants before. Jou, fascinated by what Yami was saying, scooted himself until his face was barely an inch from the other boy's.

"Yaaamii. I want to help kill all the demons. Can magic bring people back from the dead?" Not waiting for an answer, Jou crawled away to sit in a very surprised Kaiba's lap. The brunette automatically held on to his visitor's waist; being over six feet gave him the advantage of being able to handle alcohol better than the others and he was still coherent enough to make sure they all stayed safe. "Seto. I mean Kaiba. Hey. Heeey!"

Kaiba smiled a bit, knowing Jou wouldn't remember him doing so in the morning. He looked lovingly at the blonde and almost couldn't stand how cute he looked.

"Yes, Katsuya?" He shivered a little with goosebumps when Jou leaned in to whisper into Kaiba's ear.

"Do you think if I kill demons I will get my sister back?"

Kaiba's smile immediately fell. He closed his eyes and hugged Jou to him, recalling all that he knew about Shizuka Jounouchi.

She was a beautiful young girl. She held the heart of more than a few of her classmates because of her quiet, charming nature. Unfortunately, as happens far too often, the worst luck befell the least deserving. Four years ago, when Shizuka was ten and Jou thirteen, her sight began to fade. She was legally blind by the age of twelve and through the efforts of her family they raised enough money to afford Lasik sight recovery surgery. Something went very wrong, though, with a novice anesthesiologist.

Shizuka died on the table.

After the funeral, Jou's dad disappeared without a trace and his mother fell victim to her own anger, using every opportunity to beat on Jou, knowing he would never fight her back. His family's brokenness led to Jou spending nearly all his free time at Yuugi's, staying there most nights even before Grandpa died. His mother barely cared.

Kaiba knew all of this from Mokuba, who had been in Shizuka's class, and Malik, who often visited the mansion with his boyfriend. And when Kaiba found out this information, he made sure to fight extra with the boy. Jou's eyes always seemed to light up at any attention from Seto.

Speaking of attention, Jou was currently nuzzling in to Kaiba's neck, loving the comfort. He gently stroked through the soft blonde locks and tried to lull him, honestly glad that Jou would not remember telling him this in the morning. He was sure it would embarrass him.

"Yami, there is no way you can shift shapes. Circles don't just become squares, y'idgit."

"The fuck I can't, Yuuuuuugi."

"Sweet baby O'Connell please stop."

Ryou patted Bakura's head sympathetically, fully understanding the headache his friend was suffering.

"Maybe let's go to bed now." Bakura nodded, though froze when he looked around. Marik was currently asleep on the couch with Malik curled on top of him. They fell so naturally together that just one glance revealed them as soul mates.

Kaiba was awake on the armchair holding a now sleeping Jou with a sad look in his eyes. Even if Bakura had been more sober, he wouldn't have said anything; though he was curious as to what could have made Kaiba forgo his usual "silent protector" shtick.

Yami and Yuugi were sitting on the only available couch arguing with each other in heated whispers, though they probably would be asleep soon. Bakura wouldn't doubt they ended up staying on the same cushion as each other with the way they always fought. Of course, Bakura is not innocent at all and often started shit with Yami. But the sexual frustration between those two was excruciating.

"Bakura," he turned to Ryou who had begun to fall asleep on the sofa unable to make it upstairs. "What was Yami talking about?"

Bakura rolled his eyes and moved to face Ryou on the couch. They were sitting with their heads on either end and their feet touching.

"When we were younger, Yami's mom would read us old family diaries with stories about demons and benders. Each demon was different and had dangerous powers while the benders were given magical ability for spells and potions and sometimes they had unique abilities like shape-shifting or talking to animals. They were just bedtime stories, but every time Yami drinks he talks about it. You'd think he really believed it."

Ryou's eyes were closing and he shrugged.

"Maybe it _is_ real, Kura. I would like to talk to animals." Bakura shook his head with a slight smile and closed his eyes, loving how close he was to Ryou and the way the smaller boy's legs curled around his own. "They are much better than people. I bet my best friend would be a cat."

"Goodnight, Ryou."

"…Name it Sassifrass."

"Good_night_, Ryou."

"Ryou and Sassifrass."

"Ry."

"And Kura."

"I come _after_ the cat?"

"Goodnight, Bakura."

* * *

Malik awoke the next morning in his favorite place: snuggled against Marik's chest. He nuzzled under his love's chin and smiled when the body beneath him rumbled with laughter.

"Morning, baby." Malik sighed in content.

"Morning, handsome." They shared a kiss and a smile before Malik stretched his legs and felt something big and hard against his thigh. Marik moaned and the smaller boy smirked. "Dream of me, did you?"

Marik rolled over so he was on top and waved his hips into Malik. He leaned down and whispered against his lips before capturing them tenderly.

"Always."

Malik traced his nails up Marik's arms and buried them in his hair, arching his back to allow Marik's hands access under his shirt. He moaned deep in his throat, but pulled away with a blush when a voice interrupted them.

"If you fuck when we are all lying here hung over, I will personally punch you in to the Sun."

"I will help."

Malik leaned his head off the couch to let Marik room to turn his as well. They looked at the recliner where Jou was still curled up in Kaiba's lap. Malik bit his lip through a grin and looked at Marik.

"Well it looks like Jolly Green and the Pup finally got together."

"Weirdest couple ever."

"Says the Egyptian twins." Jou wrapped his arms around Kaiba's waist and buried his face deeper in to the boy's shoulder. Seto responded by lifting his legs off the ground and bending them so his knees blocked Jou from sight. "Besides, I don't think we're together, are we?"

"I've no idea, pup."

"I mean you haven't even bought me dinner."

"That _is _the standard relationship starter, Kaiba."

Jou laughed when he felt Kaiba snort. He was too tired at first to be embarrassed of his position and not remembering how he got there, but when he felt Kaiba pull him close and sigh in _contentment_, he was okay. This trip was definitely in his favorite things list.

"Oh _my_ fucking Oprah, all of you shut up."

The four who had been coherent enough to converse so early began to laugh at Ryou's sudden outburst. They looked over to see him and Bakura with their legs still curled together, eyes closed. Yuugi was sprawled ass up in the cushions of another couch in the room. Yami looked uncomfortable in his position with half his body hanging off the back of Yuugi's couch. Neither they nor Bakura had shifted since the others woke.

"So much for beds."

"Shut uuuuuuup."

Malik and Marik smiled at each other as the others fell back asleep. They decided to get up and take a shower, since neither was hung over. They built up a tolerance in Egypt when drinking with Isis was the only way to relax.

As they snuck up the stairs, Marik grabbed his boyfriend's ass and drew a squeak out of him. They laughed and shared a blissful kiss.

This weekend was exactly what they needed.

* * *

Many don't know this, but the Underworld is actually very nice. If you don't mind being in fiery caves with mysterious red liquid dripping off of ceilings or massive craters leading to scorching pits of never-ending torment.

But some really did enjoy it.

For example, demons.

Demons populated the Underworld for as long as they have existed. There are as many types of demons as there are races of humans; unlike humans, though, demons shared one goal. They all believed in one thing:

That they were the one demon destine to rule over all creation.

The one demon closer than all the rest is a high-level murderer named Dax. Throughout the five hundred years of stagnation, Dax slaughtered countless lower and higher level demons, working his way through the ranks and becoming one of the most formidable forces of evil to ever exist. He has collected enough souls and powers to finally break through the crust and conquer all of humanity.

"Sir, the benders are together. Their powers will begin to awaken tonight. Midnight during the new moon."

From his position in a high backed stone chair, Dax raised his head and leered at his commanding officer. Slime oozed around his freshly grown scales and surrounded his dark blue eyes. No whites, no pupils, just solid iris. A forked tongue slithered out of his mouth to lick some of his own slime off of his interlaced, bony fingers. His officer grimaced with disgust but said nothing.

"Good."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello again! I really appreciate you all reading! I'd just like to apologize for the pace of these first few chapters. I know it's far less descriptive than it could be and feels rushed, but I'm still working out the pacing for how I want it all to go. Please __**read and review**__!_

_Chapter Warning: Quite a bit of __**language**__ in this one, so be ready._

Chapter Three

Hidden in the foliage surrounding a cabin stood a tall Scalactic demon. His scales were a mustard yellow color signifying birth into a particular Scalactic clan with the ability to take human form when needed. He remained in his natural state at the moment, for it better served his purpose of intimidating and informing the cabin's inhabitants. His leader, Dax, wished to frighten them before killing them. Five hundred years of waiting had truly heightened his taste for playing with his food.

Serp, as he was formally named, hunched down into the darkness surrounding his frame. The moon was new, much as the impending new world order.

Now he had only to wait.

* * *

"Jou, get the guitar! You play for me?"

From his position on a stool in the kitchen, Jou picked up the acoustic guitar he had been fiddling with earlier, a familiar hobby of his ever since the passing of his sister. He and Yuugi always made music when they prepared food. It gave an air of excitement to the mundane activity and for just a little while they could be happy.

Apart from them and their music, Jou and Yuugi were alone in the kitchen. Seto and Marik escaped to a bedroom for Kaiba to do work and Marik to read in peace with friendly company. Originally he stationed himself in the living room, but Malik and Ryou started watching The Breakfast Club and shouting the lines at each other which isn't very conducive to reading.

Upstairs, Yami and Bakura were hotboxing the bathroom and having "brotherly conversation", which, according to Marik, means they are gossiping like little girls.

And quite frankly, that's exactly what they were doing.

Yami sat on the closed toilet lid with his knees pulled up and his arm outstretched with a blunt dangling in his fingers. Bakura was next to him on the sink counter sitting criss-cross applesauce glaring at his friend. The delicious blur surrounding his vision was the only reason he hadn't punched Yami in the face yet.

"It's not _that_ weird. Look at Seto; he and Jou fight like Freddy and Jason but they cuddled all night."

"That's different," Yami responded. "They fought to cover up girly lovey emotions with manly pride. Yuugi and I fight because literally everything he says is obnoxious and vexing."

Bakura rolled his eyes as he dragged the blunt, coughing slightly when the smoke hit his throat. He had been arguing his point to Yami for nearly half an hour by now and was getting nowhere. Bakura was convinced that his friend looked at Yuugi with more than just lust, but Yami was just too damn stubborn to listen. His inner rant abruptly ended when Yami spoke next.

"And what about you, then? Going to get out the trench coat and boom box soon?"

The boy on the toilet laughed slightly at his friend's blush. The two of them had been this way since they were children; Bakura would steal Yami away from the crowd to raise hell or just talk together for a while. Before Bakura joined their family, Yami hadn't spent any time with people his own age other than Seto.

"I'm thinking about it. But he's the first person outside of the family that I actually care about. So it's hard."

Yami could almost understand, but it was difficult for him to accept Bakura feeling any type of fear. He was saved from his discomfort by Marik calling them for dinner.

Downstairs was alive with music and the scent of a heavenly spice; Yuugi danced on the kitchen counter around the food while Jou played guitar. The rest of the gang was scattered around the kitchen holding plates with fajitas and Spanish rice. Yami and Bakura chose from the spread on the stove top with grins on their faces, enjoying the atmosphere. It was nearing ten o'clock (but the fact that they hadn't gotten up until four in the afternoon excused such a late dinner) and there was a nasty wind shaking the windows. It did nothing to inhibit the festivities within.

For a peaceful while, the boys engaged in pure silliness and devoured Yuugi's food. Seven of them were so wrapped up in their debauchery that it took some time to notice the state of the eighth.

Amidst the silly dancing, Ryou stood perfectly still with his ears perked. His face fell as he strained to make sense of what he was hearing. A soft voice seemed to be floating on the wind and directly in to Ryou's ears; he glanced around to his friends as if in a daze, wondering why they couldn't hear it.

His mind was overtaken by a fog so thick it blinded him. Although he could not hear them anymore, he prayed his friends were still nearby and safe. His hearing seemed to have left with his sight, leaving him trapped in his own mind with no sense of the outside world. Only that whispering to keep him company and it wasn't even coherent. It sounded like someone trying to speak but not moving their mouth enough to finish the words.

Suddenly, the fog poisoned and solidified around his mind leaving him with an excruciating constriction inside. He was completely cut off from his friends and all sense of reality. Just him and that damn voice trying to take him over.

Around him, Ryou's friends were terrified. They had been shaking and screaming at him for a good few minutes to no response. He only stared ahead with a blank expression, unmoving.

"Did one of you give him something?"

"Of course not!"

"Ryou! Sweetheart, snap out of it." Malik gripped his lover tight when yet again his friend did not respond. "This isn't funny, Ryou!"

Tears filled Yuugi's eyes as he looked at the unresponsive boy. He had only seen such empty irises once in his life and he wished with all his might that people couldn't die standing up. He was so despondent that he didn't even mind Yami's hand on his hip.

Bakura stood closest to their friend, hands holding both sides of the white hair.

"He's sweating," Bakura remarked. "He's scared of something."

They all held their breath when he wrapped Ryou in a tight hug. He read once that holding someone in the midst of a panic attack helped balance their heart beat.

"Ryou, if you can hear me, I am here." He whispered in to Ryou's ear. "You are safe here with me."

The small body in his hands began to tremble violently and everyone except Bakura covered their ears in terror at the shriek that left Ryou's lips. His eyes were suddenly alive and full of tears and he sobbed uncontrollably into Bakura's arms, begging for help. The man holding him quickly picked Ryou up into his arms and carried him to the sofa where he laid him down. The others followed, Jou carrying a glass of water and circled Ryou, anxious to know what ailed their friend.

"Outside," Ryou croaked. "He's outside."

"Who is, honey?" Yuugi kneeled next to Bakura and held Ryou's hand.

"The m-m-man with scales."

They all stood back slightly, obviously confused by their friend's words. He kept repeating himself as he stared into Bakura's eyes, not letting him move. Whispers irrupted throughout the living room while the boys looked around nearing hysterics, peaking out of the windows and creating a generally startling atmosphere. Everyone, that is, except Kaiba.

"Okay, here is what we do. Marik and I will go outside to investigate. Bakura, you stay here with him; get him to drink some water. Everyone else, go upstairs and pack our things as fast as you can. Whether or not someone is out there, we still need to get Ryou somewhere he feels safe."

Jou felt momentary relief and comfort at the way Kaiba took control. Then he was terrified.

"No, it's too dangerous. You can't go out there with Marik." He moved closer to the CEO with fire in his eyes, completely unwilling to allow his man to walk blindly into danger.

"And like hell am I letting you take my boyfriend out to meet a psycho killer." Malik crossed his arms in front of Marik defiantly. Before his lover had a chance to refute Malik's unnecessary fear, Jou grabbed Kaiba's hand and walked outside with him.

"Same plan, only Marik and I switch." He looked at his friend with a cocky smirk on his face, contrary to what he was feeling inside. "No offence, sunshine, but a street fighter like me has got a better chance in the snow than a desert bug like you."

With that, he and Kaiba left. The remaining teens shared anxious glances before climbing the stairs to pack everyone's belongings. On the couch, Ryou's grip on Bakura's hand tightened.

"What's happening, Bakura?"

The boy on the floor looked sadly at his friend. Since the moment Ryou stopped talking, Bakura felt an unnatural tightness in the air. Almost as if no matter how far into the woods he ran, he would never get a deep breath again. In this moment, he wanted nothing more than to comfort the obviously terrified Ryou, but he couldn't find truthful words to do it.

Instead, he raised the glass of water to Ryou's lips and made him drink, praying that this really was a panic attack and not one of his aunt's bedtime stories come to haunt them.

* * *

Outside, Jou and Kaiba were looking around the house together, trying to see into the woods without going too far away. Kaiba was walking in front of Jou who kept a look out behind them. It was getting late, his glow watch told him, only five minutes to midnight.

Jou was forced to look away from his watch when he walked into Kaiba's back. He raised his head confused and worried that they stopped because Kaiba saw something. But looking around, Jou saw nothing to cause alarm. His fellow investigator turned to look at him with a struggle upon his face, as if he wanted to say something but was unsure.

"What is it? Did you see something?" Kaiba shook his head and reached between them to grab Jou's hand.

"I don't think we are going to find anything, pup." He played with Jou's hand with both of his, his face making it obvious that he was choosing his words very carefully. "Last night…you got on my lap and asked if magic could bring your sister back. How long has it been?"

Jou would have swallowed if his mouth weren't so dry. He barely even spoke to his friends about his sister because it made him sound so weak. And now…

He couldn't even imagine what Kaiba thought of him.

"Two years," he mumbled. Then he tilted his head and put up his signature 'of course I'm fine, don't worry' smile. "I was wondering why you let me stay curled up like that. Usually you hate me so much I woulda been on my ass in no time. But I guess when siblings are involved, you get it."

Kaiba looked at Jou sadly for a moment and then glanced at their hands, uncharacteristically nervous.

"I don't hate you, Katsuya."

Jou's eyes widened. Kaiba really didn't hate him? Then why did they fight so much? Why did he have to anger the guy to get attention?

Kaiba's eyes held shocking emotions in them for Jou to see. They spoke of regret, fear, kindness, and something else Jou couldn't quite place.

"Katsuya, I-" his confession was cut off by a sudden ball of light slamming in to Jou's side and violently launching the teen through the kitchen window, shattering glass and splintering wood. Seto screamed his name as he jumped through the new hole in the wall to reach the unconscious boy, debris crunching under his weight. He recognized vaguely that the others had run to join them and barely heard Malik scream at the sight of his injured friend.

"What the fuck happened?!" Yuugi pushed in front of Kaiba and lifted Jou's head onto his lap. "The hell is your problem, Kaiba?"

Yuugi's voiced cracked with emotion as he glared malevolently at the taller boy who snapped out of his trance at the accusation.

"You think I did this?" His voice was dangerously low. Yami caught the perilous offence and stood between his cousin and Yuugi, not sure who needed more protection.

"Let's just get Jou and Ryou to the car, okay? Jou at the least needs to get to the hospital." Yuugi nodded with a sniff, willing to forgo his blaming Kaiba in order to save his friend. With a harsh glare, he allowed Kaiba to pick Jou up, never letting them get too far away. When they stood at the front door, Bakura walked Ryou up carefully holding his waist. Malik grabbed the car keys and started to walk to the door when a powerful gust of wind threw the door open and pushed them all back with Ryou and Bakura falling to the living room and the others littering the stairs and surrounding floor. Kaiba made sure to hold Jou's head close to his body for protection.

"You aren't going anywhere, benders." An awfully gravelly voice entered their ears with such malice and hatred as none of them had ever heard. He said the last word as Draco Malfoy said 'mudblood'. "At least not tonight."

The teens stared in surprise at the intruder, all too terrified to move. His body was covered in yellowed scales, all exposed except those hidden underneath his pants which seemed to have been made out of a burlap sack. His face was angled disgustingly vertically with eyes that fit sideways under a protruding brow and his jaw unhinged to reveal what seemed like a hundred pointed yellow teeth and a long, blue split tongue. He bent toward them menacingly and traced them with his eyes. Briefly he hesitated on Jou and a sick, malicious laugh left his lips.

"I'm almost sorry about that. Just needed your attention." The twisted attitude he used in reference to their friend served to draw Yuugi out of his fear-induced silence by gripping his anger and pulling it to the forefront.

"You almost killed him, you dick!" With a yell, Yuugi hauled himself to his feet and glared at the demon as if he was just another scumbag human and not a supernatural psychopath. He would have lunged at the offender, but Yami grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back.

"Yuugi, no." He pushed the smaller boy behind him and completely held him away. "He's Scalactic. He probably hit Jou with a fireball and a low-grade one at that. Usually they disintegrate mortals on contact."

Yuugi stared in awe at Yami while the others looked back and forth between the two adversaries, amazed at Yami's knowledge. No one knew what to say; was this actually happening? This was a joke, right? What was in that weed?

"Ah, you must be Yami. I was told to watch out for you. I guess that bitch family of yours managed to teach you a lot before they died." The demon mocked him with a bow before smiling at them all. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Serp, commanding officer of the Scalactic army and the first among many demons to greet you all, I'm sure."

They stared dumbfounded, completely disbelieving. Malik uncurled himself from Marik's protective arm and narrowed his eyes at the intruder.

"Why are you here for us?" The demon gave another of his chillingly cheerful laughs and pranced in a circle. The way he seemed completely off his rocker while simultaneously life-threatening scared the teens more than if he was viciously killing them all.

"Why, my dear, I am here to scare the daylights out of you! You're all going to live, of course. We haven't had benders in half a millennia; we simply _must_ play with you before we slaughter you."

Having enough of these games, Bakura rose to his feet while staring the intruder down. This man's words were enough to send shivers down everyone's spines, but to him it was Grade A bullshit. This nightmare was just some sick joke and he would put an end to it. He would protect what he loved.

With a growl, he charged at Serp's back. He would unmask that son of a bitch so he could watch the face as he bruised it.

Faster than a wink, the demon spun and grabbed Bakura around the neck, trapping some white hair between his slimy hands and the young one's skin. He glared, snarled, and bared his teeth all at once. Ignoring the pleas from the kids surrounding him on the ground, he leaned close to Bakura and smelled him with his tongue.

"Lucky for you, you are not the one I will be killing in the future," He growled. "Because if you were, I would be sure to make it slow and _terrible_."

Bakura struggled against his captor, momentarily concerned for his safety. A forceful voice surprisingly erupted from Ryou, who had struggled to stand on shaking legs. His glare rivaled the demon himself.

"Put. Him. Down." The frail boy's face was gray and he was horribly weakened, but his stare never wavered. He seemed somehow distracted behind his front, but with what no one knew. The demon laughed again as if the idea of him obeying a human, and a teenager at that, was ridiculous. Before he could retort, though, a growl broke through everyone's stupors.

In the door stood a giant bear nearly the size of the frame, reared on its hind legs and staring at Ryou expectantly. He pointed at the scaled man and ordered an attack; if it wasn't weird enough to see their friend talking to a bear, the whole situation got a lot stranger next.

The bear listened.

It swung a massive claw at the demon, knocking him down and freeing Bakura. Seto pushed himself away from the demon's fall to keep both him and Jou safe. Marik wrapped his arm back around Malik and turned them so only his back was exposed and Malik was completely hidden under him. Serp cackled on the floor before swinging his arm and throwing a ball of fire at the bear, turning it to ash. As he stood he brushed the dirt off his pants, a terrifying smirk adorning his face. He spoke four words before his body shimmered and disappeared completely:

"I'll be seeing you."

The eight teens stared at the wreckage in front of them, eyes wide and jaws slack. Compared to the uncontrollable disruptive noises that hadn't stopped harassing their ears since Ryou screamed, the silence now was overwhelming. Kaiba remained where he was, still holding Jou in his arms. Yami and Yuugi stood motionless next to each other, both sporting bruises on their backs from where they hit the stairs. Ryou had an arm around Bakura who himself had yellowing fingerprints bruising in to his neck. They walked together to examine the ash where their helpful bear friend once stood; Ryou fought to hold back tears.

He was beyond confused. How had the bear known to help him? Why was he upset to see such a dangerous creature disappear?

Marik held tight to his boyfriend, terrified that the demon would come back and take him away. Malik, on the other hand, chose to voice what they all were thinking.

"What the every loving _fuck_ was _that_?"

His words seemed to break everyone back to reality and instead of answering his question, they scurried to grab their belongings and get to the car. Yami drove with Yuugi in the passenger seat and Seto holding tightly to Jou behind him.

"Seriously, what _the_ fuck just happened?!" Yuugi was nearly screaming at Yami, expecting him to know something. "And Ryou, why did that bear listen to you? Was that a fluke? What the hell?"

Ryou sighed, holding his head in his hands as Bakura rubbed his back. They sat in the very rear of the car, so when he explained himself his voice raised slightly.

"I can't explain it, honestly. When we were in the kitchen eating, everything got quiet save for this whispering in my head. At first I couldn't understand and then it started to hurt and then I heard Bakura. And as soon as I heard him, the whispering stopped. And instead an image of that…that…man showed up and it just hurt so much. It didn't go away until I heard Jou go through the window and the next thing I knew I could hear that voice clear as day telling me it was coming to help and then the bear was there."

Bakura's brow furrowed and he stopped stroking Ryou's back, remembering their conversation when they were drunk. It felt like fifty years ago, but it was just last night, wasn't it?

"You mean…like-"

"Like I was talking to an animal," Ryou finished, well aware of their previous conversation. "Yeah."

Yami gripped the wheel, feeling everyone's eyes on hm. It was two hours back to Domino and if he wasn't careful, it could be the most uncomfortable ride of his life.

"He called us benders," he began. "I'm assuming that means he – or at least his boss – believes us the new protectors of the innocent. Ryou, you gained your power first, but they all would have unlocked at midnight. We just haven't developed them like you; and before you ask, I don't know why. That demon was a Scalactic – a snake demon and from his scales, I'd say a pretty powerful one. He must not have been lying when he said his boss wanted to fuck with us first. Now if only we could figure out who that _is_, we could – "

"Woah, woah, hey!" Yami gripped the steering wheel tighter and glared at Malik in the rearview mirror for interrupting him. "The fucks are you on about?"

"My family diaries – "

"Are _stories._" Said Yuugi. "First of all, given that you can't even pass a math test I'm surprise you remember them. Second of all, they aren't _real_."

Yami's jaw dropped in disbelief but before he could say anything, Marik spoke up.

"I'm willing to believe anything you can come up with to explain how a bear turned to ash, kid."

Yuugi sputtered angrily. "Anything. Some kind of weird special effects or something."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" The car sped up under the pressure of Yami's angry lead foot. "After everything you just saw, you can't believe in magic?"

"You certainly know a lot about what just happened, Notaro."

"And what are you inferring?"

"I'm _implying_ that you are pulling a prank on us. You may _infer_ as you wish."

Yami was at a loss for words, letting Ryou argue with Yuugi and instead focusing on getting Jou to the hospital. If he were to focus on his fury with the smaller passenger, they'd surely run off the road. How could this boy possibly be in denial?

Ryou and Yuugi argued (as well as they could, considering) for a good ten minutes with Malik chiming in every once in a while. Ryou was gobsmacked that one of his best friends would consider him privy to such a distasteful prank and used that defense to pry Yuugi away from his refusal to believe. It wasn't working very well.

"Enough," Kaiba finally ordered. "We will discuss this back at the mansion."

"I don't think s-"

"Shut up, Malik. Jou needs the best care and he will get it from my physician. Not some community college hacks at Domino General."

He efficiently shut his friends up for the rest of the drive. They were all far too occupied with their own thoughts to talk much, anyway.

Yami purposefully ignored the tear he saw running down Yuugi's face. Maybe at another time he would have mocked such a childish reaction to fear, but at the moment he had no room to talk.

After all, it was just as childish to want your mother.

* * *

"He'll be alright, Mr. Kaiba. A minor concussion and a few bumps and bruises, but just allow him to rest until he has recuperated. He'll wake up in the morning, probably. If not, call me right away." The doctor collected his brief case and coat, prepared to show himself out of the mansion. He left a bottle of painkillers on the bedside table next to Jou for in the morning before taking his leave.

Kaiba and Yuugi were the only two in the bedroom with their unconscious fried – Seto because he carried him there and Yuugi because he was one stubborn little shit and refused to leave his friend until he could speak to him. The smaller boy lay down next to Jou, curling in to his friend's warm body seeking assurance he was still there, which left Kaiba sitting in the recliner next to the window. This guest room was closest to the master bedroom, though Yuugi was unaware of this fact. Kaiba wanted Jou as near as possible while he recovered.

"He's my very best friend. He's my Mokuba," Yuugi said. He was now lying on Jou's chest and his eyes were slowly closing, but Kaiba knew when he was being spoken to.

"I don't intend to hurt him, Yuugi. You have my word." The CEO also closed his eyes and began to drift off, dreaming unpleasantly of bedtime stories and broken glass.

Downstairs in the kitchen, the other five teens stood circled around the counter not speaking. They all just stared at the granite island top, still reeling from their night.

Malik, ever the impatient one, was first to break the silence with a deep inhale and words breathed out barely above whispering volume. "What the hell do we do now?" Tears filled his fearful eyes and he gratefully accepted Marik's arms around him. "I mean, he said there would be more. We need to be prepared, right?"

"Prepared for _what_?" asked Bakura. "We have no idea what is coming after us let alone if we can even handle it."

Yami sighed in frustration and leaned close to his friend across the counter. "I told you, it was a demon."

The glare from his reluctant friend sent a spike through Yami's heart. If anyone were to believe, he would have expected it to be Bakura.

"They _were stories_! Even _if_ some terrible evil is coming after us, there is no way we will be able to handle it. In case you haven't noticed, Yami, we _don't have powers_."

With that final yell, Bakura stormed out of the kitchen. Despite the distance between the kitchen and Bakura's room upstairs, they could hear the door slam as clearly as if it were next to them.

Malik smiled slightly through tearful eyes and gripped Yami's hand. Marik nodded surely at his friend.

"I can't say what I believe right now, mate, but I do trust you," he said. Malik released Yami's hand as he was guided to the bedroom he and Marik shared. "Let's talk more after everyone gets some sleep."

They finally departed, leaving behind Yami and Ryou. Yami turned tiredly to his friend with a sad smile on his face.

"You've been quiet," he laughed bitterly. "Doing that silent judging thing?"

Ryou laughed barely, and leaned on to the counter. His elbows slid slightly on the cool surface, so he pushed down on them to make them stay. It hurt, but at least it was real.

"Yesterday I would have told you a sarcastic story about a cat named Sassifrass. But I just talked to a bear a few hours ago, so let's just say I'm on your side."

They shared a small, grateful smile; true happiness would be incredibly difficult to come by for a while, but the fact that they were together in their supposed insanity granted comfort.

"C'mon. I'll show you what my mom left me."

* * *

His room was pitch black save for a sliver of moon shining through the open window. It gleamed off of pearly white hair and shined particularly brightly against his brown eyes. Bakura was resting with his socked feet dangling over the bed, one arm thrown across his face gracelessly. If he were anyone else, he may have been crying because of the painful thoughts running through his head.

He could see his adoptive mother, Yami and Seto's aunt, smiling at him from the hospital bed; her heart weakening with every beat. He could smell the moth balls and stale air of the funeral home, hear the impersonal words of the priest giving the sermon, feel the dirt leave his hand as he dumped it on her coffin.

He could remember so clearly her last words to him.

_Promise me to just believe. In love. In faith. In something you can't comprehend. Promise me to believe in yourself, Rabbit. You must always believe that you are great; you will achieve so much. And I will never be away from you, truly._

_I love you._

With a frustrated cry, Bakura turned on to his stomach and gripped the bed sheets tight, his nails snagging on the fabric. She must have known that something like this would happen. She knew he would face this confrontation sooner or later. And even though he wanted with all of his might to uphold his promise to her, he just couldn't.

He couldn't believe that demons were real. He couldn't believe that the boy he was in love with could speak with animals. And he _certainly_ couldn't believe that he held some hidden power deep within begging to be released.

Taking a deep breath, he crawled up to the pillows and buried his face into them so he could scream without alarming anyone. There was no way in hell he would trust in bedtime stories to protect him or his friends.

He just had to do it all himself.

* * *

_Please review and let me know how it's going! Thank you!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you so much for reading! I know the updates are coming quickly, but it's because of a time limit I have imposed upon myself. It really means a lot to me that you've reviewed because this is my first story in so long and I really need to know how I'm doing! _

**Chapter Warnings:** Bronzeshipping sexy-times and the usual swearing warning!

Chapter Four

"Now, Yuugi, you mustn't let such a friend slip through your fingers. Marik may be in Yami's circle, but his boyfriend is his own person and you should give him a chance."

Yuugi sighed as he and his grandfather walked together down the sidewalk. The sun had set long ago, but streetlights and shop signs lit up their way in an array of yellow, green, and red. Chattering friends and loud music surrounded them, but they were enjoying their evening together all the same.

At the moment, the pair was discussing Yuugi's new friend Malik. He and his boyfriend just moved to Domino a few weeks ago and had made friends very quickly. However, as much as Yuugi liked Malik and wanted to get closer to him, he was incredibly turned off by the fact that his lover Marik was friends with Yami Notaro; someone whom Yuugi found insufferable to say the least.

"I know, Gramps. I just can't justify anything that brings me remotely close to Notaro."

Yuugi's grandfather shook his head with a wise smirk on his face.

"You're still so young, m'boy. You'll learn that just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean they aren't worth your time."

"But Grandpa, we disagree on _everything_! He is the most intolerable pain in the-"

"Do you want to know the last time I heard someone speak this way of another person?" Grandpa stopped on the corner to wait for the cross sign and turned to look directly at his grandson expectantly. Yuugi resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his grandfather; couldn't he just bitch without being interrupted?

"Sure." Grandpa smiled, placing an old wrinkled hand on Yuugi's shoulder. He was completely content in this moment; an evening out to dinner with his grandson, listening to the teenager venting about someone he clearly had misinterpreted his feelings for.

"When my son came home one day, telling me about an 'unbearably stubborn broad' he'd met in school. A few months later they were dating."

Yuugi tilted his head in question. "But I thought my dad only ever dated my mom?"

Grandpa chuckled heartily as they began to cross the street. The light changed while they were talking and the other pedestrians waiting to cross were already out of the way; the light was slowly changing back to red so they scurried across as quickly as their short Moto legs could take them.

"He did."

"Oh, Gramps come on I coul-"

"Look out!" Yuugi turned back to where they had crossed and saw a woman holding desperately to her child while crazily gesturing towards the open road. Yuugi glanced where she told him and his eyes widened impossibly. He felt a harsh pressure against his back and the next thing he knew was cold, hard pavement.

"Call an ambulance!"

"Oh God, where's the boy?"

"He pushed him! Get the old guy over to the sidewalk!"

"Get back here you drunk bastard!"

"Grandpa!"

With a shuddering cry, Yuugi awoke. Sweat clung to his every inch, drenching his hair and causing his shirt to cling uncomfortably. He looked around frantically, trying to figure out where he was. When he saw Seto sleeping in the recliner and Jou still resting next to him, Yuugi relaxed.

He curled back up onto Jou's chest, letting tears silently fall from his eyes and desperate for comfort from his unconscious friend. There was nothing he hated more than dreaming about that night.

* * *

Jou's head had never hurt this bad in his life. Whatever they drank last night really fucked him up.

Slowly, he collected his senses back to him, first taking in the smells; he flinched at his own morning breath. God, it was like someone stuck sardines in his mouth while he was sleeping. He stubbornly kept his lips tight and continued surveying his surroundings. The gentle breathing next to him – and deeper breaths behind him – alerted his brain to the presence of others. His arms were full and warm, obviously holding on to another person.

Hoping to see Kaiba, Jou opened his eyes and glanced down. Although slightly disappointed, Jou was still happy to see Yuugi lying with him. He smiled and pulled his fingers through that crazy hair.

"He refused to leave you until he was sure you'd be okay." Seto's low voice behind him caused Jou to turn around and regard the sleep-tussled CEO in a recliner. If his head weren't throbbing, he probably would have realized they were no longer in the cabin.

Then again, knowing Jou's awareness abilities in the morning, maybe not.

"'Course he did," Jou said.

Kaiba nodded at this information, silently jumping with joy that Jou was awake. Though his excitement was immediately trampled by fear when Jou's face contorted in pain and he grabbed his hair tightly; the movement jostled Yuugi awake and with surprising awareness for having just been forced to consciousness, he sat up quickly to grab two painkillers from the bottle along with the glass of water and shove them at Jou, who took them gladly.

Then, much to Seto's amusement, without saying anything Yuugi smiled at Jou and burrowed back under the sheets into a little ball to fall asleep again.

Kaiba watched the small boy's actions with a slight twitch of his lips, thinking about his own little brother's attitude in the mornings. The brunette stretched his arms above his head and cracked his neck; sleeping in a recliner was not exactly conducive to comfort.

"Hey, quick question for ya."

Seto opened his eyes to look at Jou, making note of the way his hair looked like he just had the best sex of his life.

"Hn?"

"Where are we?" Jou laughed awkwardly, slightly embarrassed to not even know his own whereabouts. Kaiba moved to sit on the edge of the bed and comb through the blonde, knotted locks.

"What do you remember?" Jou shrugged, loving the way Seto took care of him. He made sure to keep a hand on Yuugi's arm; it rooted him to reality, much in contrast to the high Kaiba's fingers gave him.

"I remember Ryou's panic attack, and that's it. Did we drink to calm him down? Is he okay?" Remembering his friend's predicament served to bring Jou's anxiety to life. He remembered being terrified for his safety and had no idea what became of everyone. "God, I don't even know where _I_ am! Where is everyone? Are they-"

"Katsuya, calm down. They are all okay, I promise you. We came back to the mansion last night after we were attacked. You got thrown through a window."

Thus began the recanting of their night to an amnesiac Jou, who took everything he was told in and kept uncharacteristically quiet. His mind was reeling with the news of magic. Are you kidding? Demons? No way. Not a chance.

But when a painful ball of fire invaded his memory, Jou begrudgingly accepted the possibility. Perhaps there could be something out there he didn't understand. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time. And, really, when you think about it, how do you explain déjà vu? Or knowing who is on the phone before you answer?

And if there wasn't anything more than what we see in reality, then what happened to his sister when she died?

Even when Kaiba caught him up completely, Jou remained silent. He just stared slack jawed and nodded dumbly when asked if he desired breakfast. Unwilling to confuse his pup any more at the moment, Seto went himself to the kitchen and collected bagels with fruit and a glass of milk. He saw no one in the kitchen or on his way around the house, and for the first time he glanced at a clock.

7:30 am. Only five hours ago had they arrived at the mansion after confronting a nightmare come to life.

It obviously wasn't every day that you faced the first demon to enter the human world in 500 years. As a child, he never cared much for the stories. Not that he disliked them, just that he found them rather arbitrary. There were enough interesting fairytales floating around the world; why did his family need to have personalized monsters?

Now... now that he knew they weren't just fictional, he wished he had paid as much attention as Yami had. Of course he would never admit this to his cousin, nor would he voice the fact that he had accepted what was going on the moment a fireball threw Katsuya through a window. His mind naturally considered outlying variables in rapid procession when faced with unfamiliar situations, and at this point there were very, _very_ few other possibilities.

When he entered the bedroom again, he saw Jou lying on his side watching a still sleeping Yuugi with sad, watery eyes. After placing Jou's breakfast on the bedside table, Seto decided to venture to his own bedroom for some sleep in his actual bed. As much as he wanted to offer consolation, there wasn't much to be said until Jou admitted whether or not he believed.

He was stopped by a shaky voice speaking quietly from the bed.

"I've always gone to the game shop when I got scared." Jou smiled fondly at Yuugi, though tears had begun to fall from his eyes. "Even before all of the loss we suffered. If my dad yelled at me or I didn't want to tell my mom about a bad grade, I would go there. Gramps would just hug me and say 'Your life does not exist without you. Be strong, and don't ever let anything else run your life for you.' Every time, he said that. That man was there for me when my sister died. When my dad disappeared, my mom lost it and Gramps set up the guest room as my official residence.

When he died, Yuugi started taking care of the shop and he kept my room there. Even gave me a key so I could come and go as I pleased; I pretty much live there. Living in the one place I've ever really felt safe with my very best friend felt like a dream. _That_ felt like magic to me. I never even really considered…that. You know?"

Jou paused to wipe a tear from his cheek and sniffed, eyes shining with unshed sadness. He sat upright, body stretching and tensing, muscles stiff, pain etched across his face. He groaned loudly in pain when his joints popped, causing Seto alarm and bringing the CEO across to stand next to Jou.

"What are you doing? You need rest." Jou snorted and raised his arm, gesturing Seto closer so he could use the other's shoulders as an anchor.

"Well unless you've got a catheter, I'm going to need to pause on the resting." A tinge of red graced Kaiba's cheeks when he realized that not only would he be helping Jou to the bathroom, but he may very well need to help him _in_ the bathroom.

"There's a toilet across the hall. C'mon." Jou nodded and wobbled along quietly leaning on Seto. They halted for a moment in the hallway so Jou could rest and take in his surroundings. There was a deep red shag carpet, white walls with paintings and pictures of their family, and a ceiling to floor window with beige drapes, hiding the edges of the sunrise.

"Swanky digs, Kaiba." The CEO rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly with pride knowing Jou liked his home. They entered the bathroom ("Damn, it's as big as my whole apartment!") and awkwardly reached the toilet. Jou asked Kaiba to turn around and struggled to remove his pants.

Jou's head fell back as he sighed in relief. From his position facing the sink, Kaiba could see Jou's butt in the mirror and smirked when the blonde shakily bent forward to pull his pants up.

"This is not the way I wanted to see your ass for the first time." Jou blushed furiously and tightened the drawstring on his sweats.

"Whatever, rich boy. Take me back."

"I have to do something first."

"And what's that?"

Jou felt arms circle him from behind and Seto's warm forehead against his neck. He held Kaiba's hands in his own and closed his honey brown eyes in bliss. He only just barely believed this was actually happening. It seemed the theme for their weekend was accepting a whole new reality, one they'd only ever considered in their own minds.

"I have to tell you –"

"Holy frig if you do not get out of there right now I am going to shit on your floor!"

The two inside glared at the bathroom door, but made moves to obey neither their friend's voice nor his incessant banging. When he finally quieted down, they allowed silence to wash over them; Seto turned Jou around in his arms and caressed his cheek. They leaned in closer to each other, getting ready to share their first kiss.

"I'm doin' it!"

"Goddammit, Malik!"

* * *

Marik rarely went very long without sex. Honestly, the last two days since they arrived at the cabin (which felt like a million years ago) had been the longest period between sexy-time with Malik since they'd arrived at Domino. So he is really, _really_ frustrated.

And waking up in their shared bed at Kaiba's with nearly painful morning wood and an overwhelming need to have his love next to him – especially after the events of last night – only to find Malik missing was annoying to say the least.

The tanned boy stretched his body and adjusted so he was lying on his bare back. Malik was probably in the shower or something to wash away the fear from last night.

Marik glanced thoughtfully at the ceiling, thinking for what felt like the hundredth time about that man that interrupted what was supposed to be a refreshing break. (One which his beloved was incredibly excited about and therefore cause for Marik to try _especially_ hard to hurt the one who caused Malik pain.)

They had grown up in Egypt; a country with arguably one of the richest histories of magic and astonishing supernatural phenomena. So why was it so hard to believe Yami?

This was all just happening too quickly. There was no transition period. One day he was finishing his final exams and preparing for his last semester of high school and the next he was spending a terrifying night in a conveniently isolated cabin where a man covered in scales threatened their lives and one of his close friends started talking to Winnie-the-Pooh.

It all sounded like rushed plot development at the hands of an out-of-practice author.

He hated feeling like his very reality was being torn at the seams and that all of a sudden both his friends and the boy he ditched his family for were in grave danger.

He also very much hated the fact that only a few hours ago he was in a hair-whitening, life-threatening attack and now he had to worry about morning wood. Was there no end to the tortures of this new actuality?

"Well next time don't fuck in the bathroom closest to my bedroom and I won't have to resort to such measures!"

Marik glanced at the door to see his boyfriend flying through it and slamming it shut before a thump shook the frame. He saw those beautiful lilac eyes shine when they caught him lying on the bed and gratefully accepted Malik into his arms, holding himself to a reality where demons are fiction and teenagers don't get magic powers when they should be worried about their futures.

"Should I even bother asking?"

"I wouldn't."

The bottom Egyptian grunted his acceptance. Malik often did things of which Marik desired no knowledge. They had reached a point in their relationship where small things were understood; their trust in each other rivaled the oldest and truest of couples.

Plus, most people are better off not knowing what Malik did when they weren't looking.

The lovers spent a few moments in silence, basking in the safety of the other. Taking in the sounds of deep breathing and underlying tension. Last night, the two of them had fallen asleep before they could discuss anything, but it wasn't difficult to figure out that neither had stopped thinking about it. That's why Marik was not surprised to hear Malik bring up the subject without any prompting.

"I'm not too happy about this, love, but I think Yami may be right." The words that hit his neck were laced with anticipation and hesitation. Malik was unsure of his own belief, but after being nearly slaughtered by a slimy scaly man, he was willing to give his friend a chance. He just hoped Marik felt the same way.

With his hand furled in silky blonde hair and the other stroking a smooth, toned arm, Marik spoke: "Well where you go, I go, baby."

Malik giggled slightly – both in relief and silliness – before raising his head to look into those deep purple eyes. He had never felt as comfortable and at home as he did when he looked Marik in the eyes. He could be honest and hopeful, or he could be an inconsolable wreck, or he could be furious and ready to punch someone's lights out at a moment's notice. But no matter what, if he took just a moment to look in to his boyfriend's eyes, he remembered what held him down; Marik protected him from the horrors of the world and the unpredictableness of being Malik.

"It's going to suck."

"Probably."

"We will be in danger all the time."

"But we will be together."

Malik halted his anxiety to smile again at his love. They _would_ be together, wouldn't they? After being viciously ostracized from their families and forced to move eons away from their home, they could probably face anything. As long as they were together. They'd experienced more at the ripe old age of seventeen than most full-grown adults. At that moment, Malik felt overcome by love for his partner; he was still scared of all that could happen, but if Marik was there it wouldn't be so bad.

He leaned down gently to kiss the lips that drew him in all those years ago. Despite his sometimes rough personality, Marik had incredibly soft lips. Especially when they were slicked by Malik's tongue.

Malik moaned lightly and braced himself with his elbows on either side of Marik's head. He pulled his body up so his legs were spread across Marik's still erect member. With a devious smirk he pulled away from his boyfriend's lips, dragging his tongue torturously slowly from his mouth.

"My poor love," he purred. Reaching his right hand between his own legs, Malik stroked his boyfriend through thin boxers. Marik groaned and ground his hips upwards, desperate for more friction. "I have neglected you recently, haven't I?"

He used his left hand to grip Marik's hair at the roots and pulled; Marik's mouth fell open in pleasure and his eyes shut tight. The strokes grew harder but slower; Malik relished every quiver and throb below him and craved more. He moved to straddle his own arm and pushed against it, adding even more pressure to Marik's lap and pulling a moan from his lover. His head fell to a place next to Marik's ear where he could trace the shell with a long curl of his tongue. Sweat built up on their skin, forcing them to slide agonizingly against each other with every slow thrust of Malik's hips.

Marik felt unbelievably hot. Every nerve ending at attention, liquidated joy flowed through his veins, building and building and unbelievably building beneath his skin. With Malik's hands working over his skin and that beautiful tongue gliding down his neck, he turned to mush. There were very few times when he completely relinquished control to another, and _never_ to anyone other than Malik. But when he did…

Oh _god_ when he did…

Malik bit harshly on the skin under Marik's jaw causing the boy under him to shudder and groan. The younger boy's eyes followed the trail his tongue made down to dark nipples; from the edges of his sight, he saw Marik with his eyes shut tight and his head forced back into the pillow, sandy hair splayed all around. Malik shifted his entire body so his chest rested above Marik's erection, fingers bent under the hem of his boxers and tongue licking along as the cloth slowly disappeared down Marik's legs. When they were completely gone, Malik grinned evilly in anticipation.

Marik moaned loudly and his legs bent up towards his chest instinctively when he felt Malik's tongue at the base of his penis. His body shook so hard it felt like he was on vibrate. Once he reached the tip, Malik opened his mouth to take in much of the length, not yet deep-throating. He knew Marik wouldn't last very long, but intended to enjoy every agonizing second before finishing. His right hand squeezed the base and the other teasingly gripped his balls. As his head bobbed up and down, the hand at the base twisted gently around, stimulating every possible inch of skin. Saliva along with the pre-cum made it easier when he relaxed his throat and moved both hands down to cup Marik's tightened sac. His boyfriend's fingers were tangled harshly in his hair, almost painfully pulling at the locks. With one long hum vibrating in his throat, Malik made Marik cum powerfully, his body thrashing naturally with satisfaction.

After one whispered 'fuck', Marik lay back contentedly against the bed and relaxed, feeling better than he had in days. Malik licked his lips clean and crawled up Marik's body with a happy grin on his face. He kissed his boyfriend's cheek and giggled when Marik's lips twitched. He was unable to say much, still in a state of paralyzing bliss after his orgasm.

"You're welcome." Malik said before curling up into Marik's side and falling back asleep.

* * *

Around noon, Yami and Ryou stirred from their positions in the former's bedroom. They had fallen asleep leaning against the bed frame while reading through the old Notaro family diaries; countless pages of information in the form of poems and stories filled those age-withered books. Names of demons Ryou had never even imagined along with their magical abilities.

One of them – called a Succubus – literally turned her victims on until they were about to burst and then jetted her tongue down their throat to drink their testosterone.

Talk about a hard death.

Then there were the vampires (they do not glitter, much to Ryou's relief), werewolves, wendigos, revenge-seeking spirits (very much unlike Casper), fairies, trolls, nymphs, Kazi demons (who were reborn from their ashes like a phoenix), golems, something that looked like a demonic dominatrix, and then a story about how Yami's great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother fell in love with a siren and killed her husband.

And that was only one book.

Others were stocked with spells and potions for vanquishing these demons or for daily worries like truth-telling serums or love potions. Ryou was absolutely fascinated by the information and had read as much of it as he could until his eyes closed of their own accord. He fell asleep leaning against Yami's bed.

For Yami, last night was a refresher course. When his mother died, these books were all he had of her and he had used much of his grieving time to read and reread them in hopes of feeling her presence. A part of him always believed, but until the attack he hadn't truly allowed it to surface. Now the faith in what his mother had taught him was rewarded, and he was quite frankly thrilled to prove her right.

Yami rubbed his eyes when he woke all the way, looking around his room to see diaries littered all around the floor and Ryou struggling to wake up. His white haired friend reached forward to touch his toes and squinted at Yami with a small chuckle.

"Morning."

"Hey." Yami replied. He stood up and cracked his back. "Sleep well?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose." He smiled, ever polite even after sleeping upright against a hard bed frame all night. They examined the mess of a room together, opting to clean up the books later after some much needed teeth-brushing and food-eating. And bladder-relieving.

The bathroom closest to Yami's bedroom was quite small, so he let Ryou use it while he ventured down the hall to a toilet near Seto's room. Knowing his cousin, he had undoubtedly already been awake and working far before the sun was this high in the sky.

After brushing his teeth, Yami washed his face with warm water. He stared at his own reflection over the towel drying his face, taking in the dark circles under his eyes. They told a very truthful story of how late he really stayed up and how frantically he was trying to figure out who the yellow-scaled demon was working for.

The way Yami saw it they had three main problems to deal with.

1. Finding out who is attacking them (with sub-problems of why and how to defeat them)

2. Convincing the non-believers in their group that magic was very much real

3. Discovering their individual powers

He wasn't sure exactly how they would accomplish any of these yet. The books he'd gone through last night were not very helpful with these specific problems and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he was probably too eager to accurately solve anything at the moment.

Ignoring his relentless thought process, Yami decided to get some breakfast. Or lunch. Whatever.

Unfortunately, his path out of the bathroom was blocked by another body sleepily staggering in from the hallway.

"Oh, joy. Just the face I want to see when I wake up." Yami glared down at Yuugi who was still too asleep to retort or even recognize that he was being spoken to. Instead, he rubbed his large eyes and looked innocently up at Yami; the look momentarily betrayed his usual hardened exterior and showed him to be the lost teenage boy he really was.

And, if only for a second, Yami thought that maybe that face really _was_ what he wanted to see every morning.

But then Yuugi must have recognized who was in front of him because his eyes darkened and he pushed past Yami and grumbled about it being 'too early for this bullshit'.

"It's nearly noon, you fuckwad."

No. No he did _not_ think anything remotely pleasant about that cherub face.

Yami narrowed his eyes at the closed bathroom door, stubbornly convincing himself that he had absolutely not had such a thought about Yuugi-freaking-Moto. Then he trudged heavily down the hallway which led to the kitchen, determined to avoid that little shit as well as he could. There were too many demons and nightmares to consider for him to be battling his own mind.

About halfway down the hall, arguing quietly whispered out of a room to Yami's right. Focusing on the scrap brought Yami out of his internal dilemma and slowed his voyage for food; the voices were low and dangerously hostile, especially for the pair that was speaking. As far as Yami knew, they had never fought over anything before.

"Kura, all I'm saying is to give him a chance to explain. There really is some interesting stuff and it all fits perf-"

"Ryou, enough! I'm not going to believe anything either of you say, so just quit while I still like you." Yami's jaw dropped at Bakura's words, unable to believe his friend was speaking in such a way to _Ryou_ of all people. For anyone else, such a tone would be excusable but to Ryou – the first person he truly loved outside of their messed up little family – hearing Bakura speak almost hostilely was beyond shocking.

"I…Kura-"

"No! Just leave me alone already!"

Peeking into Bakura's bedroom, Yami saw Ryou with a slack jaw and tearful eyes. The look of pain and shock in those big doe-brown irises was enough to make even Yami's heart twitch. Ryou's lip quivered slightly and he brought his hand up to touch his own cheek just under his eye, as if preparing to catch possible falling tears. He looked with sorrow towards the bed where Yami assumed Bakura was sitting.

"Okay, _Ba_kura. I'll go." Ryou's voice shook as he said goodbye. "Have fun in denial, love."

Quickly, Yami ducked behind a wall as Ryou scurried out of Bakura's room in thankfully the opposite direction of where Yami hid. There was no indication of where Ryou wanted to go, but he seemed most interested in getting away from the one who had just stuck a knife in his heart.

Although they had shared a friendly night and Yami was beyond appreciative for Ryou's certainty, Bakura was still his best friend. Yami had to first be sure of his friend's stability before he tried to comfort Ryou.

Yami glanced back around the wall to be sure the coast was clear before entering Bakura's room without knocking, as was their custom. His dearest friend was leaning against his headboard in a mournful position with his eyes closed. Like a child, Yami bounced onto the bed and propped himself up next to his friend. Not that he was happy at the moment, but usually annoying Bakura was the best way to cheer him up.

Sure it was ass-backwards, but that's just how Bakura worked.

"Go the fuck away, Yami."

"You were incredibly mean to Ryou just now."

"I'm mean to everyone."

"Not him."

With a groan Bakura punched Yami lightly on the shoulder, clearly despondent just by the lack of effort he put in to hurting the other. He was absolutely not in the mood to discuss this right now.

He was unable to even comprehend how exhausted he was. That creep last night held him by the neck and would have killed him if it weren't for Smoky the Bear barging in. Was he really supposed to be over it already?

God, why did Ryou have to talk? Why couldn't he have just walked in and hugged Bakura and sat there with him? Why did Bakura have to possess such a loose mouth with no filter?

"You're really so set against magic that you'd hurt _Ryou_? The only one to actually put up with you? The one you actually fe-"

"_Stop_."

Yami abruptly shut up. Bakura never spoke with such plea in his voice. He was already beating himself up enough over Ryou, he obviously didn't need Yami in his face as well. His own regretful heart was suffocating him, strangling him for making Ryou cry.

Bakura barely noticed that Yami left. He was focusing on the sound of heartbreak that had laced Ryou's voice. Or perhaps the sound came from his own chest.

* * *

Later on the day found Yuugi and Jou in dispute as well. Seto had heard of Bakura and Ryou's argument when he asked why the quieter white-haired boy was locked alone in Yami's bedroom reading those diaries all day. Now that Yuugi and Jou were quarrelling (for the first time he had ever been aware of), Seto had to wonder if there wasn't some kind of magic putting them all on edge.

Then again, why would a demon bother with magic for that when their hormones were already getting the job done perfectly?

"Yuugi, just stay! We are all going to be here and it is the safest place for us."

"No, Jou, please don't ask me. I want to go home."

Jou ground his teeth in frustration, growingly agitated by his friend's stubbornness. Yuugi absolutely refused to remain at the mansion with them, insisting on returning to the Game Shop where he would be alone and vulnerable. Or in Yuugi's words, safe and sound.

With is bags already packed and a cab waiting to drive him home, all Yuugi had to do was get passed his friend; a feat which proved much more difficult than he originally thought.

When they started to fight, Kaiba perched himself on the bottom of the stairs to watch and be sure Jou didn't overexert himself. Now he and Yami (attracted to a distressed Yuugi) were sitting there together, unsure of whether or not to intervene. Neither wanted Yuugi to leave, but they understood that the friends needed to work this out for themselves.

"Yuug, please."

"Jou, the meter is running. I have to go." Yuugi looked pleadingly up at Jou, silently asking him to understand. "I can't stay here."

Yami caught the small glance his way from Yuugi, but couldn't figure out if it was hateful or not. Jou, however, was blinded by his desire to keep his friend safe. Everyone was separating and that was exactly what horror movies taught you _not_ to do.

"Bakura is locked up in his room and not remotely interested in talking to anyone. Ryou is locked in Yami's room all emotional. Marik and Malik are somewhere doing _something_ and you know they won't join us until they've had their fill of each other. Then if you go home, I'll be here with Seto and Yami and that's it. We need you, pal. _I_ need you." Yuugi sighed and pulled his jacket closer around him. "And before you say anything, no I cannot come with you."

"Jou, how can you just _believe_ in all of this?" Jou's heart clenched at the shake in his friend's voice. "How can you? Magic isn't real. It can't be real."

"Yuug-"

"Jou, if magic is real - if I have powers, if we are all some kind of ultimate fighting machines then why-" he cut himself off to focus his eyes on Yami's, almost as if he were directing the question at him instead. "Why couldn't I save him? How can you stand there and tell me that all of a sudden you believe in magic when the _real world_ took your sister from you? A real, human person was responsible for her death, just like one was responsible for Grandpa's and I was there and I couldn't help him."

He stared once again at Yami, tears falling now. The boy on the stairs felt as if he could see a miserable memory playing behind those amethyst globes; his heart twitched for the second time that day. A desire to protect Yuugi suddenly overwhelmed him, even as the smaller's eyes toughened and his stance straightened before he looked back to Jou.

"Yuug, we didn't know then. Even if we did, what could we have done? How would you have stopped some rando from getting drunk and driving?"

"I was _there_, Jou, I saw Grandpa get hit I could have-"

"No, Yuugi, you couldn't have." They all turned to look at Yami as he commented for the first time. He had no idea what had happened exactly on the night Yuugi's grandfather died, but he knew it was the opposite of natural causes. His own parents had been victim to a faulty break line, but Yuugi's grandfather was hurt by the unruly actions of one irresponsible human being.

Yuugi's response was cut short by yet another blare of the horn and a hostile scream from the driver. With one final longing look towards his best friend – and a confusing, pained glance at the boys on the stairs – Yuugi turned around and walked out the door.

With Jou's options running low, he made to chase after his friend. Yuugi was stubborn. He was fiery and proud and when he made up his mind about something, it was impossible to change it. At this point, Jou was always there to pull him back and make him see sense. Or at least keep him in one place until he calmed down enough to reason with himself.

But he could not get through the arm across his shoulders.

"Pup, you need rest. Let him go." He growled and pushed at Seto, though with his body still in bad condition his strength was severely depleted and his attempt was ineffective.

"I can't let him go. He needs someone to go with him; he thinks he's okay on his own but he's not." Jou fell heavy in Seto's arms, near tears from exhaustion and heartache. "He's so alone, all the time."

Seto looked back to Yami, silently requesting that he do something to help but found that his cousin was already hurrying out the door. He saw Yuugi close the trunk after placing his suitcase inside.

"Hey!" Yami jogged down the stairs, grateful that Yuugi heard him and stopped next to the door to look back and listen. "Wait, Yuugi don't go."

Yuugi snorted. "And why would you be interested in me staying?"

Yami's crimson eyes rolled as he reached the door, placing a strong arm on the car to keep Yuugi from opening it (and also "unintentionally" trapping the smaller boy under his body). Yuugi glared, flummoxed by Yami's actions, only to be met by an equally fierce look from Yami. Though admittedly the crimson orbs were less angry and more concerned.

"Your friend is in there near hysterics because on top of being almost _killed_ by a _demon_, learning that _magic_ is real, discovering that the kid he's had a crush on actually _returns_ it, and being in a _completely_ unfamiliar situation, his _best friend_ just _abandoned_ him." Yuugi's glare faltered slightly at the notion that he had harmed Jou in any way. But the closeness of Yami along with the reminder of exactly what brought them to Kaiba mansion reinforced his anger.

"Stop emphasizing your words!" Yuugi pushed at Yami's chest to no avail. "You know nothing about me; who are you to come out here and judge me like this?"

"I would never hurt my friend like you just did."

"And I would never be so blinded by fairytales! Fiction, Yami, non-reality. Jou got into a fight with Kaiba and it went too far. Kaiba brought him back here because he felt bad. That man was just a hallucination from all the weed."

"Only high amounts of that drug cause hallucinations and even if it were a hallucination, Yuugi-_darling_, we wouldn't all share it."

At this point, they had gotten incredibly close together. Yuugi could feel the anger flying off of Yami's heated skin despite the cold temperature outside. Yami's hand against the door fisted tightly. He was at the brink of his self-control and clearly wasn't going to get through to Yuugi if the cynical look in those eyes was anything to go by.

He banged his fist on the door twice to summon the driver, ever so slightly thrilled by the confusion in Yuugi's face. Adrenaline washed over him because of the anger and some kind of desire to protect. It was like the idea of Yuugi being alone and in danger – or even just alone and sad – was enough to boil his blood.

"I hope you realize that the meter has been running and you guys owe me quite a bit of money," said the irate driver. He was a man with one glass eye, a pot-belly, no hair on his head, and far too much everywhere else. "Where do you want to go already?"

"Bring the suitcase back up to the door; we will pay you double." With that, Yami grabbed Yuugi around his upper legs and slung him over his shoulder, completely inadvertently placing the smaller boy's perfect bum by his smirking face.

Yuugi squawked. "Notaro! Not- what the fuck are you doing?! Put me down. Now."

His protests were utterly ignored as Yami climbed back to the front door. He stormed into the living room, throwing a 'pay the man' at Seto on the way. Yuugi was now screaming, red in the face and angrier than all hell.

"I'm not putting you down until you shut up."

"I will _not_ shut up, you douche! I'm not just some rag doll and you can't just pick people up whenever they do something you don't want them t- Ow!" Yuugi flinched when Yami pinched his leg in an effort to quiet down the ear-shattering volume.

He was so loud that the other teens in the house left their respective rooms to investigate. What they saw was Yuugi flailing his arms and legs, hitting and kicking Yami whose grip only seemed to tighten.

"What the fuck is he doing?" Malik whispered to Jou. The blonde shook his head and leaned against Seto, completely drained from information overload and physical pain. They all just stared at the two fighting central to their circle. No one said much, but they didn't look away either.

Which is why they all witnessed when Yami's body began to shimmer in much the same way as the demons had last night before it disappeared. They all came to attention, prepared to jump and save their friends; even Yuugi stopped screeching to calmly ask Yami what he was doing.

"You can't be alone," Yami's voice rasped out of his throat. His breathing was extremely labored and his tanned skin glistened with sweat. It seemed that the very air around him was shaking with might. "I will keep everyone safe. Even if you hate me."

Yuugi screamed once again as his body was lifted higher into the air. At the same time, he never left Yami's body. The others gasped and grabbed on to each other, staring up at Yuugi with wide eyes. He was about a foot above Seto's head and the arms around him had grown in size, warming his skin through his jeans. He sneezed when some of the fur under his face tickled his nose.

"Wait…fur?" Yuugi looked over his shoulder towards where Yami's hair had been and saw dark black fur instead. He covered his mouth quickly, trying to avoid screaming and startling the animal holding him.

"The fuck is with this weekend and bears!?" Bakura yelled. Despite their row earlier, he found himself standing with part of his body in front of Ryou. The six teens on the ground had nothing else to say; they only stared at their friend in complete shock. He roared in response to Bakura's snipe and sat down, placing Yuugi's body in front of him and covering it.

His mind was still functioning. That is to say, Yami was well aware of what he was doing and what was going on. He just couldn't control it at the moment; almost like his instincts to keep Yuugi safe from himself had completely taken over the second the other boy started to leave. The others were not a threat, but they could take Yuugi away from him and although his objection to that would normally cause alarm, at the moment he couldn't be bothered.

"Wait, you guys, remember what Yami said when we were drunk?" They looked at Malik expectantly, all keeping Yami in their peripheral vision. "His great-whatever was a shape shifter or something."

Yuugi felt tears cascading down his face and his hand which still covered his mouth. There was a bear holding him and his friends were acting as if everything was okay. He started to shake uncontrollably, scared and upset. Seto stood first, moving slowly towards the boy and bear on the floor. He held Jou's clinging hand behind him, but spoke without fear.

"Yami?" The bear snorted in response, cuddling Yuugi closer to his body defensively. "If we leave will you change back?"

Yami the Bear glared at Seto and shook his head. He wasn't going to let Yuugi go until he was sure he would stay with them.

Behind them, Bakura shivered when he felt warm, smooth fingers on his shoulder moving him out of the way. Ryou walked around him to stand next to Kaiba and look at Yami. He stared into his friend's animalistic red eyes for a moment before nodding and moving his gaze down to a still terrified, shaking Yuugi.

"Honey, he says that he will only turn back if you promise to stay." Yuugi's eyes widened as he quietly considered what Ryou was saying.

"It's not like I really have a choice, is it?" He laughed bitterly, desperate for normalcy. With one solemn nod, Yuugi resigned himself to staying at the mansion. "At least for one more night."

Yami accepted this answer, as he was sure he wasn't going to get any better answer at the moment. His body once again shimmered and Yuugi found himself sitting in Yami's lap awkwardly. He really missed his beautifully normal friends from school right about now.

Seeing Yami calmed down and human, the rest of the gang visibly relaxed, slouching into the couches and each other. Yuugi crawled away from Yami and into Ryou's open arms, hugging his friend close. Yami stared regretfully at the terrified boy, but was still grateful that he wouldn't be leaving.

Everyone felt even worse than they had this morning; all emotions and hysterics and terror and loneliness. They looked anywhere but at each other, unable to accept….well, anything that was happening. Instead, silence fell over them all like a cold blanket, burying their ability to speak or think about what was happening.

Well, for almost all of them.

"Hey guys. Remember that one time Yami turned in to Yogi Bear?"

"Shut up, Marik."

* * *

"They haven't stopped fighting since they woke up, sir."

"Thank you, Antoine. You are free to go."

The demon with the glass eye nodded to his master's back before departing as told. Dax smirked evilly as he cut his own finger to use his orange, slimy blood for the concoction before him. As the potion smoked and a familiar smell of rotting flesh filled his nostrils, he smiled in a terrifyingly happy way.

Those benders would be ruining each other's lives before any other powers unlocked, he would make sure of that.

* * *

_Please, please, please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_You guys can thank _Acetonperoxid _for this chapter! She gave a fantastically in depth review and really eased some of my fears about this story. I'm just worried that it's moving too quickly or not developed enough. Please let me know what you think of it at the end of this chapter! Thank you!_

Chapter Five

"Sir, there is only one family in the way. One other has been sent off by his brother and the last is already scheduled to be taken care of."

Dax nodded, calculating in his mind their possibilities. Serp was before him reporting on the progress of eliminating the bender's support – whatever family they had left needed to be out of the picture while he invaded the psyche of the benders.

Teenagers are already inclined towards loneliness, and isolating them further would be all too easy. Without anyone but each other, the pressure would undoubtedly turn them against their friends and eliminate the threat of benders in the most deliciously self-destructive way possible.

"Who is appointed to take out the last?"

Serp hissed slightly at the thought of their target, praying his next request to be granted. "I was hoping you would allow me the honor of eliminating her; she and I have some history."

"Yes, I am aware." Dax looked thoughtfully at his warrior, considering how it could backfire to allow Serp this opportunity. "…you may. But first allow her bender to see her one last time. I want him crushed. As for the brother and sister, give them one week to get out of our way then if they remain, exterminate. The others have no family, so after the next seven days they will all be alone."

Serp nodded officially before departing to give orders. Dax then motioned for a lower level demon – a dream wizard – to enter his lair.

This demon looked human, except for his skin which appeared to be made of sand. He wore a long as dark as the sky before sunrise that covered all but his face and hands.

"Status report." While most would flinch at the brash, authoritative voice, this dream wizard held his stance and responded in an equally forceful voice.

"I am slowly invading the small one's nightmares. He will soon be completely vulnerable to my manipulation." The sorcerer bowed respectfully, offering his loyalty. Dax rose from his seat and leisurely strode towards his subject. He placed a slimy finger under the sandy chin, lifting it so they could meet eye to eye.

"I trust in your abilities, Jafar. I want him alone and distrusting even his best friend. He is the least believing, and that makes him the best target."

Jafar nodded to his master. "It shall be done."

"Good." Dax released Jafar's chin and rubbed the now wet sand on his fingers against his thumb, a look of distaste on his serpentine face.

"Send that leech in when you go; he has a business deal to attend soon."

With a final nod, Jafar took the dismissal. He understood Dax to have a full schedule today. Besides, Jafar had some dreams to torment.

* * *

"Grandpa!"

Yuugi crawled across the hard pavement, holes appearing in his thin jeans. If he wore them now his ass would surely freeze, but in the September night air they had been a good decision. Had he been able to think he may have regretted wearing such thin material. But the blood on his knees was nothing compared to the blood gushing from Grandpa's skull, turning his gray hair a muddy brown.

"G-G-Grandpa," Yuugi whimpered. He sat back on bent legs, placing his grandfather's head in his lap. "No, Gramp…please don't. Please don't leave me."

Hands gripped around his arms and pulled him away despite his struggles; his jeans were dyed red from his grandfather's blood and his whole body shook. Tears fell in rivers down his cheeks as his vision blurred and Grandpa grew smaller and smaller. Finally, the people attached to the bruising fingers on his arms spoke.

"Look what you did, runt."

"Marik?"

"Oh, Yuugi, how could you?"

"M-Malik? How could I what?"

"Yuugi, I've lost all respect for you."

As hard as he tried, Yuugi could not turn his head and his sobs only grew worse.

"Kaiba? What are you all doing here?"

A pale hand gripped his chin and forced him to look in to Bakura's cold eyes. The others were holding him by the arms and legs now, keeping him still even while his body shook with the power of his crying.

"You killed him, Yuugi," Bakura growled. "You had magic this whole time and you couldn't even believe long enough to save him, Yuugi!"

"Sh-shut up! Yami said-"

"You killed him, Yuugi."

"Yuugi the murderer."

"Yuugi the killer!"

"Yuugi."

"You did it, Yuugi."

"Couldn't save him."

"Yuugi!"

With a jolt, Yuugi sat up in bed screaming and sweating and oh God he couldn't breathe. Was that his voice retching from his throat in uncontrollable cries?

"Grandpa!"

Arms were around him, holding him to a chest that was much too firm to be the elderly man he desperately wanted to be there. But it was warm and smelled like some kind of manly cologne and fuck he really needed this person right now whoever it was. His little hands gripped the bare skin and he pulled it closer.

"Please…Grandpa…don't leave me."

Yuugi felt his world tilt as the person laid him down shushing him softly. They held him tight, curling their legs under his and bringing him to a calming position in their arms. His tears still never ceased; even when his eyes closed once again, his body continued to shake.

"Grandpa." His pajama pants stuck to his skin from sweat, though in Yuugi's poor mind the blood of his grandfather still soaked through the cloth.

"Go back to sleep, little one. You are protected." A deep voice reverberated through his ears and seemed to battle the demonic words of his dream friends. They became quieter and quieter until they only barely whispered in the back of his head.

"Don't leave me," he whispered in a beaten tone. A small chuckle rocked him back to sleep. Although it was not peaceful, it was quiet and plagued by only the quietest of nightmares.

"Not even if I wanted to, babe."

* * *

Jafar fell back violently from his perch by a glowing blue crystal orb. With a nasty growl, he stood on his feet and attempted to reenter Yuugi's mind by reaching into the orb, only to be flung backwards from an electric shock even more powerful than the first. He vaguely heard a whisper of "protected."

Determination set upon his features as he walked to a large glass cabinet filled with herbs and other potion ingredients. He picked out African Dream Root and set it above a fire to stew. Bitterness flooded his veins, blinding his vision and igniting his rage.

If they thought they were safe, they had another thing coming.

* * *

Ryou Shiozu stood in a large bathroom of Kaiba mansion examining his reflection with pursed lips. It was Wednesday now and after having a few days to let tempers settle, it was decided they would begin to learn basic defensive arts.

They would be taught by an assumedly shirtless Bakura and Yami, which of course meant that Ryou had to look extra desirable.

He and Bakura had not spoken since their argument – Bakura from regret and hesitation, Ryou from pain and anger. Before that day, Ryou had been sure he and Bakura were on the way to something more. Something they both wanted so badly.

But _naturally_ that would be prohibited by stupid stubborn denying Bakura.

"More like 'Ba-_ka_-ra'."

Ryou giggled slightly at his own joke as he teased his long white ponytail. His hair was soft and fluffed with just a few strands falling around his face. He wore knee-length yoga pants and white tennis shoes, opting out of a shirt. The top of his pants fell just under the top of his muscled pelvis, showing off 'V' lines.

Many people – Bakura included – didn't know that he was actually pretty fit and assumed him to be all smooth and weak. When really, he was the proud owner of quite a few muscles, thank you very much.

A small knock on the door interrupted his self-assurance.

"Just a sec." He walked to the door and opened it, revealing Yuugi in a skin tight black tank top and low-riding grey sweatpants, his toned arms folded behind his head. When he caught sight of Ryou, he smirked and looked at his friend with mirth in his eyes.

"Now I remember why we used to hook up all the time." Ryou giggled and pushed his friend.

"And even with those arm muscles you've got going, I could still pound you into next week." Yuugi rolled his eyes and linked his arm through Ryou's to lead them downstairs. Their sparring would take place in Kaiba's at-home gym which had been temporarily rearranged to accommodate fighting lessons.

"You know with the stress of this week, I really wouldn't mind that." Ryou wiggled his eyebrows at his friend as they reached the floor where the gym was held. They did know each other very well, after all. And it wasn't like it hadn't happened before…

"Don't tempt me, babe. Have you seen your ass?" Yuugi laughed and pulled down his sweats to reveal his tight boxer briefs and shake them at Ryou, completely unaware that Yami, Seto, and Jou were walking down the stairs immediately behind them and could see the whole show.

"Of course I have. You don't get this tight without knowing it, sexy." He winked behind him before blushing like mad at cat calls from the stairs. Jou had his fist in the air and cupped the other by his lips to heighten his volume as he bounded towards his friends; perhaps as a benefit of his still hidden powers, his body had healed quickly and now he had only mild bruises to worry about.

"Shake it, baby!" Yuugi threw his head back in laughter as the three walked into the gym, Jou smacking his friend's ass the whole way.

"Cousin, not for nothing, but if you're still trying to resist that then you're fucked." Seto remarked with his eyes closed as he walked passed a stunned Yami. Vaguely the teen wondered how it was possible to be training his friends in martial arts for protection from demons while simultaneously fighting a hard on, but mostly his mind was consumed with thoughts of Yuugi shaking his rear in rather delectable situations.

"_Shit."_

With a grumble, Yami hopped over the rest of the stairs and turned to walk down the hallway after his cousin. The whole way he punched at the air, fighting that stupid mental image of Yuugi and his stupid perfect butt all up in Yami's face.

"So Jou, my love?"

"Yes, Yuugi-poo?"

"Is it true that staring into a blue surface while having sex intensifies your orgasm?"

"What? Why do you ask?"

Yuugi and Ryou glanced at each other before giggling slightly and entering the gym where Marik and Bakura were already sparring with Malik watching. Jou stood still at the door with a confused look on his face until a hand placed itself on his rear and squeezed causing him to 'whoop' in surprise.

"They're just teasing you, pup." Jou looked into deep blue eyes and realization brought him to chase into the mat covered room after Yuugi. He narrowly dodged between the ongoing wrangle and effectively stopped it, with Bakura holding Marik in a half Nelson and looking around confused.

Malik ran to the pair and clocked Bakura to save Marik before he ran out of air. He wrapped his boyfriend in a loose hug while glowering at Bakura, who was holding his cheek bewilderedly. Ryou had to turn away and pretend to talk to Yuugi in order to hide his admittedly pleased grin; Bakura _certainly_ deserved that punch, in his opinion.

"Ryou, I had no idea you were so cut!" Jou admired. Ryou rolled his eyes and exaggeratedly flipped his hair with an air of gratitude. Yuugi giggled, very thankful to be in a good mood for once this week. He wasn't exactly a fan of their current activity, as despite all he had seen he was still reluctant to believe they were all magicians of some sort. And those nightmares were slowly beginning to plague his waking life, causing him to be wary of the friends who star in them.

But Ryou was funny and it was impossible to be anxious with Jou laughing beside him and he was actually looking forward to seeing Yami sweating and shirtless and fighting so _maybe_, just _maybe_, he could let himself smile today.

Think of the devil. Yuugi turned as his eyes caught movement at the door. He saw Yami enter, still angrily punching at the air. The smaller boy giggled slightly at how silly Yami looked, inadvertently catching his attention. But no _way_ was that a flutter he felt in his heart at the small smile Yami sent his way. Why was that guy even smiling at him to begin with?

Yami, for one, was glad to see Yuugi in a better mood. He hadn't been able to stay in the guest room last night because he knew Yuugi would have freaked out, but if he allowed himself the hope that Moto's improved attitude was because Yami had been sneaking in to quench those nightmares, then he could also allow himself the hope that Yuugi didn't hate him quite as much as he claimed.

"Are we ready? I have a merger to oversee tomorrow, and I do not intend to waste all my work time relearning how to fight." Yami's smile fell as he looked at Seto, his red eyes blank and his lips slightly parted.

"Look, Mister Privileged, some of us don't know what we're up against." Yuugi said. A small blush tinged his cheeks as he realized he was kind of sort of standing up for _Yami_, of all people.

"Yeah, check yourself before you wreck yourself."

"Pup!"

"Oh, don't look at me like that you know I'd punch you if it meant sticking up with Yuug."

Ryou laughed a little as he stretched his arms above his head. Even if they were more civil and obviously in love with each other, Seto and Jou still bickered like it was their job. He felt eyes on him and turned slightly, only to smirk when his suspicions of a successful plan to distract Ba-ka-ra were confirmed.

Every inch of Bakura's body north of the boarder went numb, as if gravity decided that his blood was better served south. Ryou looked absolutely stunning. Bakura's eyes trailed all over the smooth, pale skin, taking extra time at the small dimples above his ass. Ryou turned and Bakura's eyes snapped up to meet sultry, confident brown irises.

In that moment, Bakura realized that Ryou knew exactly how good he looked and was definitely licking his lips on purpose.

"Eh…well, let's get started." Yami walked to the middle of the room and regarded his friends carefully. Most of them – much like himself – were not wearing shirts. Only Yuugi and Jou had tank tops on and they were so tight that they may as well have been bare chested. Regret quickly passed through his mind; was it really a good idea to have eight half naked gay teenagers in the same room about to get all sweaty and worked up? "Stretch."

The boys circled along the mat to follow Yami as he led them through a series of positions to loosen them up. He almost lost his own self control when he saw Yuugi hit the ground further in a split than any of the others. His only solace was to see Bakura stumble more than once while watching Ryou. At least he was the only one with such a problem.

Meanwhile, Jou (in a very triumphant effort to throw Seto off as repentance for upsetting Yuugi) bent himself backwards into a bridge position and straightened his legs to stretch them out.

It's possible that the groan he made when his shirt rode up was overkill, but the fact that Kaiba looked quickly away with a huff made it okay.

Malik regarded his friends as they stretched and swallowed hard at the lump in his throat, feeling a mixture of pride and horny. There was probably way too much testosterone in the room for any one person to handle, but his friends were using it to their advantage and he couldn't help but take some responsibility. He was always telling them they needed to use what their mommas gave them.

Yami, for example, was positioned next to him with one leg pulled up behind to stretch his hamstring and very poorly hiding his stare from Yuugi (who was most likely purposely bent away from Yami touching his toes). So _obviously_ that meant that Malik's flirtation lectures were successful.

With a wipe of the proverbial tear, Malik smiled at Yuugi's rear. He smiled even bigger when the boy bent his knees slightly and rolled his body to stand with such subtle movements that to the unfocused eye it wouldn't even have been sexy.

But to Yami, who was watching _very_ intently, it literally knocked him off his feet.

And right into Malik.

"Oh!" Malik screamed. When they collided, he felt a burning sensation along his skin anywhere his muscled friend with sharp elbows landed. His body heated up and his voice got caught in his throat, almost like it did when Marik was doing that thing with his tongue.

Not usually the reaction one experiences when being fallen on.

"Malik! Are you alright?" Yami stood and reached a hand out to help his friend off the ground, but was smacked away by Marik who had stormed over when he heard Malik's outcry. After laying Yami with a sufficiently threatening glare, he bent down to check Malik for any bruises.

When he saw a slight tent in his boyfriend's shorts, he almost choked. Malik looked at him with pleading eyes, silently requesting that Marik direct the others' attention somewhere else.

"Malik, sweetie, are you okay?" Yuugi's face appeared amongst the crowd and Malik barely hid a whimper. He nodded and crossed his legs, praying his friends hadn't noticed his problem yet. Since when did Yuugi's big eyes make him want to jump the smaller boy?

Once again, he looked at Marik who finally seemed to get the message.

"Alright, go away now," he waved everyone away hastily, moving to kneel in front of Malik and effectively block him from their sight. "Just start, we'll catch up."

With a few last concerned looks, the boys dispersed and Marik leaned down to match Malik's gaze with a raised eyebrow of his own. Malik panicked.

"I know, but that's not it! I don't know what it is, but I promise that I am not getting all hot and bothered. Well I mean I guess I am but it's not my fault because holy _shit_ could these guys be any more obvious?"

Despite what many people thought, the only person Malik had ever been with or wanted to be with was Marik. He was honestly scared that his boyfriend thought the uncomfortable predicament in his shorts was because of anyone else.

But simple smiles soothed him enough that he could sit upright and allow Marik to pull him to his feet with a small kiss on his head. His arm wrapped around Malik's back and rubbed it slightly as they walked, attempting to calm not only Malik's own racing heart but also his growing worry for his boyfriend.

Marik knew Malik had what some would call an overactive libido, but it had never _embarrassed_ the other before. Perhaps this sparring was a bad idea after all.

As they rejoined the group, Malik grew fretful and gripped Marik's side. "Are you okay, love?"

Marik tilted his head curiously at Malik's question as they finally joined the others facing Yami and Bakura.

"What do you mean?"

Malik shrugged and faced their "teachers" from his spot between Marik and Ryou. He couldn't quite comprehend why, but he couldn't shake the worry from his core. It was duller as he stood alone, but he still felt a nervousness that wouldn't shake. He decided to focus solely on the lesson, ignoring his concern and absolutely refusing to look at Yuugi or anyone else for that matter. Fighting would probably help him relieve stress anyway, right?

As they sparred, it became more and more complicated. What began as a simple 'one, two, punch' evolved into some kind of squirmy evasive maneuver and then they started working with their legs. When Yami demonstrated a roundhouse kick on Bakura (one which absolutely did _not_ melt Yuugi's loins into butter), the "students'" attempts ended with more than one of them on their asses.

Which is how Ryou fell into Malik and knocked them both to the floor.

"The fuck is with you people knocking my boyfriend to the floor?"

"Marik, you're usually so laconic. It's nice to know that you will bother speaking in defense of your love."

"Shut up, Kaiba. Baby, are you okay?" He crouched beside his lover with worry in his eyes, but stopped short at the pure rage present on Malik's face. Ryou, for his part, regarded his friend with fear; he hadn't _meant_ to land on Malik. It just happened.

He apologized profusely, but was met with silence. Malik glowered at Bakura, tears growing in his eyes. Marik looked between the two perplexed. He was unsure whether to comfort Malik or beat Bakura for whatever he presumably had done to Marik's love. Since he was unsure of what exactly their white-haired friend had done, he decided on the former and bent further towards Malik only to be pushed away as the other Egyptian boy rose to his feet, never moving his eyes from Bakura.

"You _bastard_!" He screamed. Bakura – with everyone else, of course – stared at Malik in bewilderment.

"Wha- I didn't do anything to you!"

"Oh, _sure_. Of course. You never do anything, do you Bakura? No responsibility on your shoulders. No convictions, no beliefs. And you take it out on the rest of us with stupid snide comments and judging when you _know_ we just want to be with you. God! You're such an inconsiderate asshole, you know that?"

They stared at Malik in silence, most with bewilderment and fear but the last with absolute amazement. How did Malik convey everything he wanted to say to Bakura without ever hearing about it before? And why did he choose this moment to bring it all up?

"Um…" Marik cleared his throat, completely irresolute. "What?"

Malik looked to his boyfriend, then to the others and back again with tears overflowing at this point.

"M-Marik wh-" He sniffled. "Why…where did that come from?"

The addressed boy shrugged; how was he supposed to know why Malik said _anything_ let alone something like that? Instead of using words to comfort – which, fairly, weren't his forte anyway – he hugged Malik with all the love and comfort he possessed. This seemed to calm down his lover long enough for his tears to subside.

"Perhaps we should cease practice for the day," suggested Seto. The others nodded in agreement, except for Yami. He was examining Malik with curiosity and getting closer to the couple still in each other's arms.

"Malik, I'm going to try something, okay? I don't think this is just random." Malik furrowed his brow, but nodded while hiding in Marik's arms. "Jou, come here."

After whispering something in Jounouchi's ear, Yami stepped back and allowed his blonde friend to take his position in front of Marik and Malik. He smiled warmly at his friend before reaching out a hand slowly and grasping Malik's shoulder. The tanned boy gasped sharply. He looked at Yuugi with love and gratitude in his eyes.

Yami nodded as if confirming something. He clapped his hands together and smiled. "Malik, you're an empath."

"…What."

"An empath. Someone who can channel the emotions of others and express them. Some can even transfer those emotions to people other than the originator."

Silence reigned for a good while until Yuugi finally rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the floor, moving closer to his still visibly upset friend. His glare never once faltered.

"He's having an off day, that doesn't make him automatically _magical_, Yami." The taller boy gritted his teeth. What the hell was it with this kid? One minute they were flirting and kind of civil and the next simply holding himself back from a fight took all his will power.

Yami moved forward as if to charge at Yuugi and released a feral growl. His back twitched ominously as he moved, as if the muscles were begging to breach his skin. Jou rose to catch Yami's glare and wordlessly warned his friend to calm himself before he approached Yuugi. Tension clogged the air around them as the two boys stared each other down; it was suffocating to the others around them. The anger wrapped around their throats and squeezed threatening their very lives.

In an effort to shake the vicarious rage, Ryou turned his head to look away and unintentionally locked eyes with Bakura. _God_, how could his irises speak of lust and want at a time like this? They reached down through his own eyes and teased his skin from the inside out. Desire twisted in his gut and rubbed his groin in such a way that even licking his lips and swallowing the lump in his throat couldn't get rid of it. And as much as he wanted, he could not look away.

Seto could hardly breathe even though his head reached above all the others. Their emotions climbed to dangerous altitudes, polluting every inch of air in the room. His head began to ache and he knew that if they didn't separate soon, someone would get their ass handed to them.

And he'd be gone to hell if that person was Jou.

A cry from Malik brought them to their senses, releasing the hold all those emotions had on them. They looked fearfully at him, completely unsure of what to do. Seto was the first to move, fueled by his eagerness to remove Jou from the situation.

"Enough. Let's just go upstairs and relax." He reached between Yami and Jou to grab the blonde's hand and pull him away. "Maybe we can try learning this in smaller groups next time."

Before anyone else could leave the room, Yuugi stormed through the crowded circle and out the door, his leg brushing against Malik's shoulder in the process.

"There won't _be_ a fucking next time." Yuugi practically ran out of the door, shouting obscenities about 'goddamn tanned assholes' and their 'stupid freaking perfect abs', or something of the sort. Jou and Ryou – who had finally ripped his eyes away from Bakura – ran after him along with Seto, who was really only concerned for the objects in his house that may suffer Yuugi's fury. Perhaps he was worried for Jou, as well, but it was literally mostly his valuables.

"No, Yami." Said boy halted his pivot towards the door, looking back at Malik with confusion for what felt like the millionth time that day. "You can't. I know you want to, but Yuugi needs some time to himself."

Malik's eyes filled with tears that even the presence of Marik couldn't cure. Bakura backed away towards Yami, unfit to deal with a crying Malik.

"But I-"

"_No_, Yami." Malik sobbed slightly into his hands, overcome by the emotions drowning him from just a graze of Yuugi's leg. "I can feel it. He's alone. Even after everything _I've_ been through, I've never felt as alone as him. But that's how he deals. He needs this time, okay? You can go to him later but god just give him some time or he might burst."

Yami sighed angrily, turning his eyes towards the door where Yuugi had left before.

"Why don't you guys go to a room away from the rest of us for a bit and get calmed down?" Bakura suggested. He wanted desperately to speak with Yami alone, just for a moment.

"I can bring you my mom's information on empathy, if you want."

Marik pulled Malik's arms around his neck and lifted the other boy. With a solemn nod towards Yami to confirm their desire for the books, he carried his boyfriend off to their room to calm him down.

The remaining two stared at each other with clenched fists, communicating with their eyes what it was that they needed at the moment.

Then they lunged at each other.

Bakura's right fist swung towards Yami's face and was blocked by the other's left forearm. Yami brought his knee up towards Bakura's gut, but the white-haired boy spun to his right and jumped away before charging at Yami's back and jumping on it. Yami grasped Bakura's arms around his neck and bent his knees, jumping to flip them both forward and land on top of Bakura, breaking out of the other's hold.

He lifted his knees to his shoulders before shooting his legs up into the air and landing on his feet in front of his raggedly breathing friend. Bakura then swung his legs around to stand and raised his fists at Yami. Through grunts and punches, they spoke.

"I love him," Bakura growled. He grabbed Yami's right hand as it reached him and twisted so it was over his own shoulder, with Yami in pain behind him.

"Me too," Yami replied. His left leg rose to rest against the arm Bakura held in place and he used the leverage to swing his entire body and throw Bakura onto the floor. "That's two."

Bakura yelled barbarically and threw himself at Yami's torso, pummeling the other to the ground.

"And there's one." Using a back handspring, Bakura put some distance between he and his sparring partner. "What are we gonna do?"

Yami placed his hands flat beside his head and raised his body into a bridge position before kicking his legs up and over to a standing position. He rolled his shoulders and wiped the sweat from under his eyes. Fuck if he knew what they were going to do. But _god_ did he need this fight right now.

He charged at Bakura and before the other could even defend himself, Yami jumped with all his might and slammed his feet into Bakura's chest, knocking him on his ass. Yami landed on his back and used the strength in his upper arms to fling himself back up.

Panting heavily, he reached a hand out to Bakura to raise the other to his feet. "That's three."

Bakura begrudgingly accepted the hand and heaved himself to a stand. The two of them made their way over to the bench against the wall and sat, letting oxygen catch up to them and fill their lungs, making it slightly easier to breathe. Bakura lifted his hand and slapped it against Yami's shoulder, gripping slightly and shaking his friend.

"We'll figure it out," said Yami. "If we don't, there is always your promise."

Bakura let out a barking laugh and shook his head. "If we can't figure out what to do with them by the time we graduate, we are going to move to Tokyo together and get married. Fucking seriously, you remember that?"

Yami smiled wryly at his friend. "Of course. I've practically lived off that promise for the last…like four years."

They chuckled together, sharing a brotherly look. They had been together as best friends for nearly their entire lives; no one knew Bakura like Yami and of the few people who really knew Yami, Bakura was the closest to actually understanding him. Someone leaned closer, looking for reassurance through the kiss of a friend.

It was quick and chaste, something they had done a million times. Yami moved one large hand behind Bakura's neck and placed his forehead against his friend's. They looked at each other with the same sarcastic, arrogant, loving look.

There's nobody better to console you than your best friend, you know?

* * *

"Yuugi, come back!" Jou raced out the door after his friend. Yuugi had somehow managed to call a taxi driver – the same one with that uneasy, unmoving glass eye – and was currently throwing his duffle into the seat. He looked back to his best friend tearfully, completely aware of Ryou and Seto standing on the stairs watching them.

"Jou, I promise I'm not leaving you." Yuugi's voice shook, but he refused to cry. "I _will_ come back. I couldn't abandon you, dude. You know that."

Jou looked away from Yuugi, angry yet understanding. If there was anyone who knew how badly Yuugi needed time alone – even if the smallest boy was alone more often than he realized – it was Jou. Against his gut, the blonde nodded and pulled Yuugi into a strong bear hug. He kissed the top of his friends head before letting him go.

"Text me when you're home. And let me know if you need help at the shop or anything." Yuugi nodded confirmation and smiled a sad, yet grateful smile. He closed the door, not looking back as the cab drove off toward his home. His game shop.

A hand landing on his shoulder caused Jou to jump; once he realized it was only Seto, he relaxed exponentially, placing his head against a broad shoulder. They didn't speak. Kaiba knew better than to attempt consolation when such an important person was leaving Jou in a state of distress. Ryou wiped a tear, staying in his position on the stairs. He sniffed a little before walking back inside.

Even though they were fighting, he was sure Bakura would accompany him back to their apartments for more clothes and other items. Their store of clothes from the camping weekend was out and as much as he liked how Seto's shampoo smelled, he would rather have his own bottle.

Besides, a little bit of home-air would probably do wonders for his nerves. As long as they promised to not take long, it would be more than okay with their friends. Right?

Stifling his tears, Ryou made his way down to the gym to find Bakura. All the while thinking to himself that the ability to communicate with animals was definitely _not_ worth the turmoil it was causing him and his friends.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! 5,776 words this time round! Please review on just one of those words, I'd love you forever. ;)_


	6. Chapter 6

_5, 977 words! Please enjoy. :) And thank you so much for reviewing!_

**Chapter Warnings:** Violence and back to back sexy times

Chapter Six

After losing his mother and sister, Ryou closed himself off. Completely. If it weren't for Yuugi and Jou, he probably would have gone to school everyday, hated every second of it, then returned to an empty apartment because _god forbid_ his father were home for longer than a month.

It wasn't a secret that the man used "ground-breaking archaeological discoveries" as he so pretentiously phrased it to stay away from his only son. Ryou looked exactly like his sister and he had the same mannerisms as his mother. They were both gently fierce and loving, but independent and captivating. His father couldn't very well handle the memory of his lost love being shoved in his face every day.

Ryou had forgiven him a long time ago. Perhaps it had something to do with how self-sufficient he had become, but he honestly couldn't care less about his father's negligence.

That being said, human connections were difficult for Ryou to maintain. In his opinion, finding Yuugi was a stroke of luck he would never experience again; few others, he felt, were actually worth his time. So when Bakura came into the picture, Ryou surprised himself by almost immediately welcoming the boy into his life. They walked together after school and eventually discovered how much they really had in common.

Which is why Ryou let himself develop a crush.

He figured that because Bakura understood him in such an intimate manner, it was safe. More than that, he thought it would be successful. Who better to fall in love with than someone who valued all of you?

Even after their fight – maybe especially after it – Ryou wanted to be with Bakura. His anger proved to him that the other boy was already under his skin and there was no escaping their connection.

Ryou thought about all of this on his way downstairs to ask Bakura if he would accompany him home.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was thinking about the way Bakura would blush just a little bit if Ryou called him 'Kura' in public.

As he continued down the hallway towards the gym, the warmth of Bakura's side as he snuggled into it on the train filled his memory.

When he finally reached the open doorway, it was as if he were back in the cabin, pleading with that bear to save Bakura because oh _god_ there was no way he could go through this without him.

Once he entered the gym and saw Bakura kiss Yami, he felt those joyful memories and hopeful dreams drop from him, taking his breath along with a dreadful thump.

Of course he could go through this without him. He didn't have a choice. Of course Bakura didn't feel the same. Ryou was alone, and he was a fool for ever thinking differently.

He didn't hear himself make a noise, but all of a sudden Bakura and Yami both snapped their heads towards him. Yami's face was painted with worry; probably that Ryou would tell someone what he had seen.

Bakura looked like he wanted to either cry or scream.

But that didn't really matter to Ryou. He couldn't hold this gaping trench in his heart against the pair staring at him; it was his own fault he got hurt. It was his own fault that oxygen seemed hard to come by and that his eyes were tearing up and that his voice was shaking when he finally spoke to Yami.

"Yuugi is gone," he whispered. Yami practically jumped to his feet. "Don't bother chasing him, okay? He'll be fine. Jou overreacted last time."

Ryou swallowed hard, trying desperately to pull the tears from his eyes back behind his walls. But it seemed the embarrassment of crying in front of others was his punishment for ever letting his guard down in the first place. Yami's fists clenched at his sides, but he made no move to pursue Yuugi. Bakura rose slowly, staring at Ryou who stubbornly trained his eyes on the wall behind them.

"Ry-"

"It's okay. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Despite the tears breaching his eyes, Ryou smiled. It doesn't need to be said that it was heartbreaking. "Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to my apartment to get some things. I'll be back later."

Bakura pushed passed Yami and almost stumbled towards Ryou. "Wait, I'll go with you. It's dangerous."

Ryou's watery doe eyes finally looked towards Bakura, and the older boy felt his heart clench. He followed mutely as Ryou turned and exited the room, with one anxious glance back towards Yami who nodded with confidence in his eyes.

"Ryou, wai-"

"Bakura," Ryou paused his walk, turning back. Tears were falling down now, but he would be _damned_ if he called attention to them. "Stop talking while I still like you."

* * *

The Kame Game Shop was cold, almost painfully so. The ground outside was bare of snow, but a disorienting lack of heat left Yuugi constantly rubbing his hands together for friction. Unfortunately the gas company decided to turn off the heat when he missed a payment last month.

Not that he didn't have the money. Because he did.

But after Grandpa died, he had taken some time to himself and only opened the shop for 50% of its usual hours, so profits were down.

And he just didn't have the heart to use Grandpa's life insurance yet.

"At least the fridge is still working." He muttered. There were sodas and waters in there, along with a few take out boxes from last week. "They've gotta be good enough, right?"

"Don't you dare pick those up, Yuugi Moto." Yuugi jumped a foot in the air, promptly smacking his hoodie-covered head off the edge of the fridge. He spun around with one hand rubbing his dome and the other raising a water bottle in front of him offensively.

He sighed with relief when he saw a taller brunette girl with cerulean eyes smiling at him with mirth. Lowering the water bottle, he smiled and flung himself at Anzu with a crushing hug around her middle.

"What were you gonna do, Yuugi? Splash water at me?" She laughed as she returned her friend's hug. She felt him shrug his shoulders, but his hold on her never loosened. "Yuugi? You okay?"

Yuugi pulled away from Anzu with a small smile. "Yeah. Just happy to see you. You beautiful, normal person."

Anzu laughed a little and let Yuugi go completely. She pulled a travel-size cooler from her shoulder, placed it on the counter, and unzipped it. Yuugi hopped onto the granite next to her while he popped the water bottle cap and drank a little of it.

"What's in the bag?" He peeked over and smiled at his friend kindly. Anzu smirked.

"I _know_ you aren't eating properly. Case in point, reaching for at least week old leftovers. So I made you some of your favorites!" Anzu pulled out several containers from the cooler, filled with home-cooked foods straight from the heart. "Pierogies, fried chicken, green beans, corn, and stuffing."

Yuugi snagged the container of chicken and practically tore off the lid. "Anzu, you are my goddess. You make me wish I liked vagina."

Anzu laughed heartily. "Well you make me wish I _didn't_ like it."

She wiggled her eyebrows at Yuugi, who joined in quickly with her laughter. They ate together, discussing Anzu's relationship with her girlfriend Miho and how it was progressing. After this semester they intended on moving in together. Yuugi filled Anzu in on his weekend (purposefully leaving out what he had dubbed the "crazy bits", but being sure to add every agonizing nightmare and all the feelings he had about Yami).

"Look, dude, I know you hate the kid but Yami is another one that could hit this." Anzu said. Yuugi rolled his eyes at her and hopped off the counter.

"Yeah, he's a steamy-hot love god but come _on_, does he have to be such a tool?"

Grabbing the food, they walked to the living room so Anzu could properly berate Yuugi for being oblivious in a more comfortable position. The two cuddled on the couch under a blanket with their hoodies pulled up to keep them warm while they laughed and gossiped long into the night.

* * *

Bakura hates silence.

Some might find this strange, considering that he also hates mindless chatter and most people's voices, but silence is the worst. It leaves him with time to think and overanalyze – his two least favorite activities.

In this _particular_ situation, silence left him with no option but to contemplate exactly how far in the dog house he was with Ryou.

The two of them sat alone in one of Kaiba's vehicles – a 1997 Jeep Cherokee, lord knows _why_ it was in the Kaiba garage, but it was – to complete and utter silence, driving towards their apartments. They would stop by Ryou's first to collect his clothes and clean out the fridge of spoilable food. He decided to stay at the mansion with his friends for a while. At least until they had any sort of idea what was going on.

Then they would hit Bakura's place, though it wasn't really necessary. All he had there was some beer and pot he needed to get.

Mostly he was only here for Ryou's safety.

And to try to talk his way back into Ryou's good graces.

"Yami and I kiss all the time." Ryou sputtered and jerked from staring out the window, unintentionally spitting all over the dashboard.

"_What?_"

"Well, no that's not what I meant. I mean I guess it is, but not like that."

"Bakura, just stop."

"We're not together or anything-"

"Bakura-"

"It was just a friend thing-"

"Stop-"

"And I'm sorry."

"Just sto-what?"

Bakura eased onto the breaks as he pulled into the lot. He didn't bother staying put to answer Ryou and instead decided to leave the car and walk towards an elevator to take them to the apartment.

"For the fight."

Ryou had to chase after Bakura and strain his ears to figure out what the other had said. Bakura never apologizes, so he wanted to hear all of this. But when he figured out that the other boy wanted to talk about their fight when Ryou could barely wrap his head around what he had just seen in the gym, he decided not to respond.

With a quiet 'whatever', Ryou walked passed Bakura into the elevator. _No, no, no. Not going to grace him with a response. Yelling then kissing Yami and now being all weird and un-Bakura-y. He doesn't get my conversation._

"You just don't understand what it's like."

Fifth floor. Exit. Apartment 5B.

"This is a huge shock for me."

Unlock door. Enter. Resist urge to slam it in Bakura's face.

"I mean my aunt used to talk about this crap all the time and I spent my entire life believing it wasn't real."

Let Bakura follow into the bedroom. Pull out duffel bag from the closet. Covertly wipe tears from eyes.

"It's hard."

Whirl around and _slap_ Bakura's cheek.

The white haired boy stared in awe at his counterpart, taking in the tears on Ryou's face and his tight lipped frown. His normally pale cheeks were shining red and the breath leaving his lips was ragged, as if he had just run a marathon. Seeing the state of the other, Bakura couldn't even bring himself to yell for getting slapped.

"Hard? _Hard?_ For _you_?!" Ryou grabbed his duffel bag and hurled it at his dresser, knocking down the colognes that had been atop it and filling the room with his scent. "I fucking_ talked to a bear_, Bakura! Twice! And who is the one person I _need_ to be there for me? One of the only people I actually fucking _talk to_ about all that _girly emotional shit_?"

Ryou was shaking; his words were nearly incomprehensible because of the cries leaving his throat. Bakura's hand slowly left his cheek as realization finally hit him. He felt sheepish and selfish and an overwhelming desire to go back in time and punch himself in the gut.

"_You_. For some totally unfathomable reason, I love you and I wanted you to be there for me." Ryou laughed bitterly at himself and plopped down onto his bed. His forearms rested on his knees and he turned his head on folded hands. "Bloody stupid, that was. I _know_ you can't depend on anyone, I don't know why I did."

Bakura stared at Ryou with quiet comprehension; Ryou gritted his teeth together while pointedly looking away from his almost lover. They said nothing. There was nothing to be said.

So Bakura used his body language.

In one swift motion, he scooped his arms under Ryou's shoulders and around his back, then pushed the smaller boy underneath him on the bed. Ryou gasped in shock, both from the act of being nearly tackled to the bed and the way Bakura was whispering huskily into his ear. _I love you. I'm sorry. You're beautiful._

In between each small sentiment, he would choose a spot on Ryou's neck and place the tip of his tongue to the skin, then close his lips around it in a kiss. The third kiss raised those tickling hairs on the back of his neck, sending a pleasant tremor down his spine.

_Just once._ Shiver. _Give someone a second chance._ Bakura's tongue along the shell of his ear. _And let it be me._

With a devastating look sent into Ryou's eyes – and deep brown reflections of pure yearning staring back – Bakura kissed Ryou desperately, immediately pulling his knees forward for leverage to shift both their bodies further across the bed, until Ryou's bare feet only barely hung over.

Ryou, whose arms had been nearly forced behind his head when Bakura tackled him, opened his mouth around Bakura's when a surprised moan elevated from his core and exited through his lips. The broader of them growled in response, causing his lips to vibrate against Ryou's skin before he snatched the other's jutted bottom lip in his teeth and rolled it between them.

Oh _god_ that moan of Ryou's sent torrents of titillating chills down his spine. Bakura jerked himself back on his knees, carrying Ryou's body along with him. From this position he could grab the smaller's sweater around the bottom hem and peel it from his body. His lips parted from the sweet ones beneath him as he frantically kissed down alabaster skin, simultaneously unbuttoning his own shirt. When he met with the boy's tight yoga pants, he abandoned his own open shirt and unzipped jeans – did Ryou see red boxers there? – to grab the elastic waistband and nearly violently remove the littler one's last piece of clothing.

Ryou lay beneath Bakura, naked and vulnerable. Were it any other pair of eyes studying him with such fascination and celestial gratitude, he would have curled around himself to hide the most unseen parts of him. But these eyes were the darkest of hues; they were narrow and beautiful and Bakura's. And these hands gently trailing down his taint were rough from fighting but stroked his body as if it were the softest silk. And it was okay to let someone back in as long as they were Bakura, right?

The first two fingers of one big hand circled around his wet hole, teasing it. When did he get lube? He couldn't figure it out before Bakura slid his fingers inside, then shrouded Ryou's cock in his mouth. His fingers crooked and rubbed his lover soothingly while he bobbed up and down, swallowing around the tender erection in his mouth.

"_Fuck_," Ryou groaned the word out of his mouth like it was being ripped from his very center. "Bak_ura_-"

A high pitch gasp escaped when Bakura added another finger and carefully maneuvered them around to stretch his muscles while filling him so much that no nerve ending went unpleasured. He felt cold air tease his member when Bakura released it from his talented mouth and trembled.

"_Ry_." Bakura purred into his ear. While Ryou couldn't even think, Bakura had been working down his own jeans and boxers until they were at his knees and his painfully erect member was slickening Ryou's inner thighs. The cold fabric Bakura's shirt skimming his hot skin gave Ryou shivers. Without voicing an actual need, Ryou tucked his own arms underneath his knees and pulled them up to his shoulders to expose himself in a better position for Bakura. The boy on top shifted his knees further forward so Ryou could rest his legs against him. Then he bent forward so he could hold a silken white ponytail in one hand and position himself with the other.

Ryou graced his hands over Bakura's skin, reveling in this moment. When he reached around his lover's neck, Ryou tightened his hold and pulled Bakura down into a kiss, causing him to jerk forward into Ryou. Then the bottom boy's tongue was in his mouth and that _whimper_ tightened a coil inside of him; one quickly looking to burst. He drove his body in and away from his love, rolling his hips to find what he was looking for.

"Oh, god _go_d." One of Ryou's hands untangled itself from wild hair to hold his own forehead while he screamed. "_Kura. _Right _there_."

Fueled by his name leaving Ryou's lips the _right_ way and the thrill of hearing the love of his life moaning with each pounding breath, Bakura forced himself faster and harder. He used the hand which had positioned his own dick earlier to pump the younger one as furiously as he was thrusting, quickly bringing both of them to the end of their ropes. With a heart pounding scream, Ryou and Bakura finished, almost unaware of the mess.

They lay together in sweat and love. Bakura continued to kiss Ryou's head long after the moment was over, both of them staring into space with tired looks on their faces.

"I love you, Ry."

"I love you too, Kura."

* * *

"It's going to be okay, you know."

Jou jumped around in surprise at the sound of Seto's voice; he had been sure that there wasn't anyone else around at the moment, let alone someone in the _bathroom_ with him. Malik still refused to come out of his bedroom and Marik – in what he claims to be only for the purpose of cheering up his love – has taken to staying with him and flooding him with lust and sexual emotions.

Summarily, Jou does not expect to see them for the next few days at least.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Seto waved a hand in front of him. Jou's eyes softened as he looked at his love's concerned face.

"I know." Jou shrugged with a smile at Seto. "I just never don't worry about him."

Seto sighed at Jou's insistent protective personality, but still smiled just a bit. They knew Yuugi was going to be fine on his own, yet it had taken Seto's entire persuasive vocabulary to stop Jou from running out the door after him. Typical, that Jou would be more concerned for his friend's safety than an impending barrage of centuries old magic. However, Seto had the perfect way to get his pup's attention away from his best friend's absence.

He stepped forward to grab Jou's face and pull it passionately towards his own. They kissed each other nearly frantically, Jou grabbing at Seto's shoulders and hair trying to pull him as close as possible. Seto quickly discarded the boxers they had on for sleep and lifted Jou up to sit him on the counter. Once they were settled, Seto slowed the pace to trace his fingers teasingly along Jou's skin. He smiled again at the small goosebumps that showed themselves along his arms and chest after his touch. Seto grabbed Jou's wrists and held them between them so he could lean forward and whisper lowly into the blonde's ear. "_Katsuya_."

Said boy shook when his name reverberated down his spine. Their erections throbbed as they reconnected their lips and ground against each other. Jou felt the cold stone underneath him when Seto climbed on top, supplying pressure especially to his pelvis and ripping a moan from the blonde's throat.

Just as Seto began to bite his way down Jou's neck, he was thrown back violently by a tanned arm around his middle. Jou screamed and frantically covered himself, trying to identify their attacker. But before he could, Seto had jumped back to his feet and kicked the man away from Jou. He stood between them defensively, but had to close his eyes at the sudden light that flooded the bathroom.

"Malik! The fuck _are_ you doing?" Marik screamed from the doorway. Once Seto and Jou adjusted to the light, they recognized their attacker to be Malik, who was glaring venomously at them and cursing in Arabic. The two naked boys could only stare when Marik responded back in the foreign language and began arguing with Malik in it.

After a few moments of incomprehensible dialogue, Seto slammed his fist against the wall behind Malik's head. He'd be gone to hell if he let these other boys interrupt his favorite thing and then not even acknowledge him.

"Two options," he growled. "Leave now to explain yourself later. Or watch."

Jou tried to protest Seto's perverse remark (actually afraid that the blonde pair would choose to stay), but shut himself up when Marik grabbed Malik around his middle and threw him over his shoulder.

"We're leaving."

"Thought so. Love you, mean it!"

Malik, however, had far less quiet plans.

"We can't _leave_. They'll fuck!"

The two naked men stared at their friend like he was the dumbest rock they'd ever seen. Seto spoke in a very slow, patronizing voice.

"We are _going_ to fuck whether you're here or not."

Marik had to tighten his grip on his boyfriend to avoid dropping him as the smaller boy flailed in his arms. He pulled the other hectically through the door and away to their bedroom, all the while carrying screams of 'constant boner' and 'you sons of fucks, I will _end you, Marik'_ in his arms.

Kaiba quickly slammed the door after them, being sure to lock it this time. He turned slowly back to Jou who, in the now bright light of the bathroom, looked exhausted, brokenhearted, and unfittingly 'laugh-y' for someone who should for all intents and purposes have passed out hours ago.

He sighed, silently planning _Fifty Ways to Say Goodbye to Malik_ (Original Song by Seto Kaiba) in his head. Now that he knew exactly how tired Jou really was, he would never ask the other to exert himself more. He needs rest and to be taken care of. Not thrown around in a passionate love-making caboodle.

No, the only relief he'd get would be by his own hand.

_Goddammit, Malik. I hope you feel my hatred right now._

He faintly heard a thump down the hallway as his confirmation.

"Come on, pup. Bedtime."

Jou's head popped up from its lulling position on his chest in surprise. Still, when Seto wrapped his arms around his waist and hoisted him into a hug, Jou latched onto him like a Koala (secretly loving the fact that he and Seto could be so close naked in both passionate and comfortable senses). He spoke in slurred words as he drifted to sleep against Seto's shoulder.

"'ut I do?"

"Nothing, dear."

"D'you say 'love you, mean it' 'o Mark?"

"It's just a thing we do."

"'e yer _boy_friend?"

"No, pup, you are."

"I'm?!"

"Well, now yeah."

In a high pitched, raspy, tired-person voice that would surely be used as a Terrible Weapon of Mass Adorable should Jou find out in his waken hours that he has it, Jou sang his words to Seto as they curled together in bed. From his position with Jou fast asleep on top of him, Seto closed his eyes and held his love close under his chin so he could kiss his head.

"Setooo. Love you mean it."

"You, too. Goodnight pup."

* * *

Anzu shouted her greeting as she opened the door to Yuugi's kitchen with the spare key they hid under the mailbox.

"Sorry, Yuug! I made it all the way home and what do I find? I forgot my cell phone _and_ my house keys. I'm a champion amongst men, I really am."

The brunette walked to the sink where she saw her friend standing with his back to her; Yuugi was uncharacteristically quiet. Usually he would have already made at least three sarcastic remarks about early onset Alzheimer's by now. She called his name quietly as she reached out for his shoulder.

"You shouldn't have come back." Anzu gasped slightly when her friend spoke. She realized that what she had thought to be faucet drips was actually Yuugi's tears hitting the metal.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She pushed against him to make Yuugi turn and face her. His black hoodie was still pulled over his face, but when she pulled it down, Yami's face was there instead.

"I said you shouldn't have come back. Slut." Anzu's hand automatically flew back into a fist, but she felt it get caught in someone's grip behind her. She painfully turned to attack the person behind her, but was surprised to see that it was Jou. He easily twisted the leg she kicked at him and bent her forward.

"We know that you're a demon."

Blue eyes widened in fright and confusion as she looked at who she thought was her friend. Before she could say anything to him, her chin was forcefully grabbed by a pale white hand and Ryou turned her face towards him.

"Just shut up. You're going to die for betraying Yuugi, and not by any other hand than his."

Disbelief shuddered through her; Yuugi would never let this stupid joke – or whatever it was – get too far. He would save her. Of course he would.

When she finally saw her shorter friend, she began crying with relief. She begged him to let her go. She said she had no idea what a demon even was. She said she was truly his friend and never would betray him.

But it didn't work.

From a place behind him, Yuugi pulled a butcher's knife as he glowered at Anzu with every foul emotion he had ever felt boiling up within him. He raised the knife and swung it against her exposed throat, exiling blood from the deep gash. The red color surprised him, but once the life left his "friend"'s eyes, Yuugi was convinced that she had never really been his friend in the first place.

With a vicious growl, he snarled out the window and jumped through it, his true friends following behind.

A horrible falling feeling caused Yuugi to jerk awake, sweat drenching his body as he panted and ran his hand over his face. After a few moments of calming down, he reached beside his bed and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Well fuck _that_ dream." As he drank the water, Yuugi couldn't help but shake at the blurry memories of his nightmare. He knew without a doubt that he wouldn't

Yuugi noticed peripherally that a small black cat was sitting inside his windowsill. He quickly covered himself up at the thought of someone watching him, but rolled his eyes at himself once he realized how stupid he was being, hiding himself from a pet. "It's a cat, Yuugi. You idiot."

Grandpa had insisted on putting a cat door in their kitchen for all the strays around the area to get warm shelter and food. It was yet another thing Yuugi had no heart to get rid of. Because of their many feline solicitors there is a bag of cookie treats on his dresser at all times, so getting one and offering it to the cat was only a reach away. He pet the animal when it reached him, glad for some nonhuman company. Still lying down, Yuugi closed his eyes, enjoying very much the sound of a low purr and the warmth of the animal against his side.

Then Yuugi reached beside the bed to pick up his acoustic guitar and strum it a few times. "Mumford is always a good relaxer. What do you think?"

He scratched under the cat's chin until it purred again and then settled his guitar in a better position on his lap.

"So make your siren's call and sing all you want, I will not hear what you have to say." He sang in his beautifully raspy voice, feeling the words fly away on sound waves with his fears anchored beneath them. "'Cause I need freedom now and I need to know how, to live my life as it's meant to be."

He sang through a few of his most relaxing songs until he was at least calm enough to get back to sleep. Although the lifeless eyes of his dream friend plagued him through the night, they weren't overpoweringly awful and Yuugi slept in his own bed better than he had since Grandpa. He welcomed the cat into his arms for a hug; it purred louder, bringing an actual little giggle to Yuugi's throat. The cat opened one red eye to make sure Yuugi was comfortable before curling up closer and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"You'll never control it if you don't calm down!"

"I'll never calm down if you don't leave me alone!"

Marik ducked with a scoff at the pillow thrown towards him. He then picked up a pair of pants lying next to him and hurled them toward Malik.

"I'm not leaving you like this, you numbskull."

Malik charged at Marik, knocking them both to the ground with a large bang. They wrestled a bit, rolling over their clothes and bedding that had been tossed around throughout their time this afternoon.

"This is the worst day _ever_." Malik screamed. He jumped to his feet and raised his fists towards his boyfriend. "You being here just makes it _worse_."

Marik lifted his hands, palm up in surrender of the fight. "I won't leave, but I don't want to fight. You may hate feeling my emotions but you could hurt yourself if I'm not here."

Malik clenched his fists tighter. He knew he was the reason why the bedroom resembled tornado leftovers. He knew that experiencing so many emotions at once was driving him insane and making him vent physically on the things around him. So what? He wouldn't hurt himself, and Marik was just making everything so much more complicated.

"You selfish son of –"

"_Selfish_?" Anger flared up inside of Marik. "I'm just trying to protect you, asshole!"

"I don't need protection!"

"You'd be dead if I didn't protect you!" Marik screamed. Malik flinched as if what his boyfriend screamed had been an actual blow. Whether it was anger at himself or at their situation or both, Marik wasn't sure. But his fury shook his body unnecessarily and all of a sudden his palms were burning and the lamp beside Malik exploded in a sudden blast of glass pieces all over their room.

Malik dove into his boyfriend's arms and hit the deck to protect them. They both shook uncontrollably, desperate to catch their breath.

"The fuck was that?!"

"Short circuit or-"

"Not the fucking lamp, Marik." Malik sighed from his position on top of Marik, speaking in a voiced layered with sadness. "You've _never_ been that mad before."

His lover shook underneath him, seemingly too winded to respond. Malik spoke again, still rasping.

"How could you say that?"

Marik threw Malik away from him and jumped to his feet. Tears lined his usually dry eyes, reminding them both that _really_ they were just a couple of teenage boys in way too deep with the wrong shit.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. His eyes never once looked up to meet his love's. Malik had yet to stop shaking with fear and overwhelming pain from the foreign emotions flooding his system. He could only barely bring himself to sit up.

"Baby-"

"Looks like you'll get hurt whether or not I'm here." Marik blinked tearfully in frustration and looked into Malik's perfect, beautiful, heartbreaking eyes. His gaze flickered to the now shattered lamp. "And besides the emotional shit, it looks like I'm the guy who blows up lamps now."

"But I love you." Malik whispered. His voice was hoarse and tears streamed down his face in waterfalls. He surprisingly didn't sob; just spoke in a slightly elevated pitch.

"I love you too, baby. So much." Marik sighed and turned towards the door. He paused with a hand on the knob to thunk his head against the wood. Tears slowly dripped from his eyes and his jaw hurt from gritting his teeth so hard, but he did not turn around. "We both know that you rile me up more than anyone."

"I'll stop."

"And this obviously has to do with my _power_."

"Maybe it doesn't."

"No way was that a short circuit and whatever this is, I'm not going to risk _blowing_ you _up_, Malik."

"I'll be good."

Marik bunked his head against the door again. He didn't have to look to see Malik's crying face. He knew exactly what it looked like. He'd seen it so much in Egypt.

He had protected it so much in Egypt. And here. He would always protect Malik.

"I'll be at sister's. They aren't home. Went to Italy, or something."

Even if it meant leaving him.

"If you need me."

With finality unbefitting either boy, Marik stepped back from the door to open it and walked through it, resisting the almost overwhelming desire to turn around. The slamming oak shattered his heart between its hinges.

"Come _back_!" Malik screamed. He couldn't bring himself to even get off the floor; the weight of every possible kind of heartbreak was too heavy for his tired body. "_Marik_. Marik I _need you_!"

From the other side of the door, Marik could hear cries raking their way through his love's throat and stabbing him in the chest. He was leaving _Malik_. He was abandoning the only person he was sworn to protect for the sake of his safety.

Stupid fucking irony.

He was dragged down the stairs and to the garage by every fiber of willpower in his body. He kept telling himself that he wasn't going away forever. They would be together again soon. It's not too far.

Everything will be fine.

Malik's heartwrenching shriek of his name shredded through any optimism he had left before he could get his bike out of earshot. He didn't cry when his mom kicked him out or when they had to leave their country all of a sudden or when they found out demons and killers were real but oh _god_ did he cry when Malik's voice slashed his heart like that.

Lifting one of his arms from the handles of his motorcycle to block the sound, Marik cried like a teenager with a broken heart. But right as he decided to turn around and go back, his front wheel dipped into a pothole and he flew over into the grass, arms flailing nervously. Every streetlight within a fifty foot radius blew up and any cars park on the street immediately sounded alarm. With his mind still jumbled, Marik jumped to his feet and nervously rolled his damaged bike towards their house, tears constantly rolling down his cheeks.

* * *

…_..so was that a cliffhanger or?_


End file.
